


The Archangel Cometh

by Deeox2



Category: Adeptus Evangelion, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Based on a Tabletop Game, Child Soldiers, Gen, Genetic Engineering, Idols, It's Evangelion, Orphans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-06-24 08:33:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19720036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deeox2/pseuds/Deeox2
Summary: Seven Pilots must win a two-front war against Adam's Angels and Lilith's Lilin. The whole world has placed their hopes and dreams upon these Children. Their bonds will break, reform and shatter once more. Belief in themselves will only do so much, belief in each other will bring them victory.





	1. Seven Pilots

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This work is based off of a tabletop game that occurred on the Hyperspace Forums for several years, but never finished. In the vein of archival, I thought it would be a good idea to write it into some sort of proper form and put it somewhere. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

The lights dimmed over a crowded stadium and the crowd grew to a light murmur in anticipation. A single stage light in the center was illuminated and one girl stepped out onto the stage. Rinko Shiraishi, in shining stage dress with a microphone clasped between her hands. “Thank you all for coming!” she shouted to the sea of glowsticks. “Please welcome the rest of us, the glittering jewel available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week! GEM247!”  
  
The lights burst forth to shine on the entire stage, revealing two rows of girls - all dressed the same as Rinko - standing behind her. The crowd exploded in uproarious chants and shouts, all declaring their love for what these girls represent to them - no, what they represent to this reborn world. This hope that triumphed over that endless suffering that had occurred… These girls were the shining example of that hope.  
  
Yuki Minase, slightly left of the center of the front row, held her arm out toward the stars in the starting pose for their dancing act. She watched intently as Rinko stepped back and outstretched her arm like the rest of them. Yuki took in a deep breath and…  
  
So began their declaration, their song to the entire world that they intended to reach for the stars in all their endeavours. They might be a Japan-based idol group, but they were global, with members from that same global community. This new world was different and they were youths who would claim their place in it. Rinko was like a shining star already, already pushing the group in every way in search of their dreams. To Yuki, she was like a big sister, a coach, a mentor and a friend all rolled up into one.  
  
For Yuki, the plan was to go through the idol industry and come out into the anime voice acting industry, or be a producer, or something else in the Japanese entertainment industry. Being an idol was only a springboard, but when she looked at Rinko on that stage… her dreams only swelled and grew even bigger than could be contained in her young heart. When all those songs and dances were over, tears welled up in her eyes and she cried. Those dreams really were attainable for someone like her.  
  
Drip, drip, drip…  
  
Drip… drip… drip…  
  
Drip… drip… drip… drip… drip…  
  
Yuki watched the IV drip from her hospital bed. Not a single thought went through her head in that coldly illuminated room. Everything was white. The walls were white. The floor was white. The roof was white. Her hospital gown was white. Her doctor’s coat was white. The only thing that wasn’t white was the black suit of her manager.  
  
“Doctor, I hope you have good news for us.” Her manager smiled, but that careful smile was teeming with nervousness. “Ai-Ro-N have a concert in two weeks, and we really can’t afford to cancel.” Ai-Ro-N, the spin-off metal-inspired band for GEM247. Yuki sometimes did not try to work very hard, but she had for this. This was just another part of the dream she had to put together for her future.  
  
The doctor clicked her pen and placed it back into her coat pocket. “Her condition is stabilizing for the time being, but you know how fragile Yuki’s constitution is…” She sounded as if she was pleading with the man. “One day she’s fine, but the next she’s barely breathing or she’s fainted or worse. This condition, this Stigmata-”  
  
“Doctor,” her manager said sternly yet calmly. “We’re not supposed to even know about that.”  
  
“Even so, we don’t have a cure for the condition. I know Yuki has her eccentricities… but please take care of her.”  
  
“Of course. I will. The girls of Ai-Ro-N are like my daughters.”  
  
Drip, drip, drip…  
  
Yuki fought to get better, but this was not a disease that she could fight off with sheer willpower alone. At fourteen years of age, she was brimming with willpower, but what she needed was more than that. She needed a cure. She needed an opportunity. Yet even for all the doors that opened for the idol, one had not opened toward a cure for her condition. She was lazy, but she kept training toward that goal. One day, she would be as beloved as Rinko was. All she needed was the right opportunity.  
  
One day, a man in a white suit came along. His hair was white, with a long Van Dyke beard. Round spectacles hung over his eyes and he smiled down at the girl from his chair beside her. Yuki recognized him immediately. He was the outrageously American entertainment mogul who owned everything behind GEM247, Gordon Atherton.  
  
“Say, Yuki,” he said in an awfully stereotypical American country accent. “How would you like to be the Pilot of your very own giant robot?”  
  
To anyone else but Yuki, that would have sounded like a crazy statement, but to her it was only another exciting opportunity. “A mecha pilot…?” she asked excitedly, yet tiredly. “I’ll do it.”  
  
“Just like that?” Gordon Atherton asked with a sly grin.  
  
“Just like that…” Yuki smiled.  
  
“Well, let me just lay out the particulars of this job… A group working under the United Nations have been scouting around for Pilots to help protect the world from an unknown threat.” He took the cane that was lying over his lap and set it down so he could lean on it. “Still up for it? We’ll need to do a little test to see if you even properly qualify!”  
  
Yuki pushed herself up and propped herself on one of her arms. “I’ll do it. Put any test in front of me, I’ll do it.”  
  
Someone new appeared in the room. “She’s quite eccentric.” Yuki looked up to see a woman with jet black hair that fell down to her shoulders in a sort of ordered chaos - not straight, but not unkempt either. She was Japanese too, but there was one thing very peculiar about her. Yuki could not see her eyes. It wasn’t because Yuki thought she didn’t have them, rather she had a sleek visor set against them. This woman looked like someone right out of a sci-fi anime. Maybe it was because she was in one, Yuki thought.  
  
“How ‘bout it then, Miss Minoru?” Atherton asked the new arrival. “Will she do?”  
  
Miss Minoru nodded once. “We shall begin testing immediately.”  
  
Two men pushed in a small table, one big enough for a laptop to rest on and nothing more. On it was not a laptop, but rather an obscure device made entirely of black plastic and metal. There was a slot for her arm on the front and some sort of digital screen beside that. The device was imposing, but Yuki steeled herself. One of the men applied some sort of wired pads to the sides of her head, all while Miss Minoru watched with silent intent. The selection of another Pilot was about to begin.  
  
"Place your arm within the receptacle until the device engages," Minoru said.  
  
Yuki lifted her arm up and placed it within the dark confines of that black device. At the end of the barrel was a handle that she took a hold of, turning on the digital screen beside it. The readout displayed a dark zero on a green background. Slowly, it began to climb. Slowly, she began to feel something.  
  
There was something else in the room with them. Clawing against metal, eager to get out. It watched them, but did not understand them. The readout began to rise, steadily reaching a level of ten. That thing noticed her, and she took notice of it. It might not understand her, but she reached out and tried to grasp the basis of it. What was it? What did it want? The readout reached twenty. It shunned her and did not open the door to let her in, even though it desperately wanted to escape. Was she not worthy? Not good enough? She was Yuki Minase. She was the girl who believed in her dreams. The readout reached thirty and began to slow down. That door to that being remained closed to her. She reached out with both hands and pulled, but it wouldn't open the door.  
  
In that bright hospital room, she saw a look of disappointment on Atherton's face. Was thirty not good enough? She gripped the door handle tightly in her hands and pulled. "Let me in! Let me see what's on the other side!" Yuki pulled and pounded on the door, yelling and demanding to be let through. She needed to get that readout higher, she just needed to do that and her dreams would become a reality.  
  
To those in that hospital room, it looked as if Yuki was focusing on something intensely. Her eyes were screwed shut, her teeth ground together, her brow was creased and knit with immense determination. "Is that normal?" Atherton asked Minoru.  
  
"It's fine. Let her continue."  
  
Yuki kicked at that door, pulling on it with all her body weight. At the end of all her struggles, it moved. She fell back as soon as it did, seeing the smallest sliver of the door opened. Yuki crawled forward, putting her fingers between those cracks and peeked through to the other side.  
  
She never saw what it was. With a nod from Minoru, one of the men turned off the device and began to remove the electrodes from Yuki's head. Yuki stared straight ahead. "What was that?"  
  
Minoru spoke precisely. "A test to determine your Synch Ratio. A result of forty is still exceptional. You did well." She turned her head toward Atherton. "We'll be in contact shortly."  
  
Atherton smiled like every greedy producer that Yuki had ever seen. "Thank you, Miss Minoru. Thank you very much."  
  
From that point onward, Yuki’s life did change, but less than her new job title might entail. Her health restabilized as it often did, and she went back to lazing about, practicing, going on television shows and being a fourteen year old Japanese idol. However, something did change. Testing from Miss Minoru’s organization began to a greater degree, calling her away from school and work. Confinement in an enclosed space, submerged in some sort of orange liquid, was the norm. That Synch Ratio was on her mind constantly. She was told that of the Seven Pilot Candidates selected, she had the lowest Synch Ratio of all of them. This fact did not dissuade her, and she threw herself into the tests of coordination and strain even more than before.  
  
Atherton called Yuki and her manager to his office in Tokyo-3. It was one of the tallest buildings she had ever been in, and she was called to the very top floor. The fortress city stretched out forever, consuming her entire vision as she gazed out from the elevator. This would be her home for her tenure as a Pilot. All these roads and streets… she imagined massive sockets bursting forth, caches of weapons replacing parks as she fought…  
  
Gordon Atherton was much the same as Yuki met him once again. His office was a sleek white, just like that hospital. The smell of alcohol on the man didn’t help her feel at home, but she stuck her chest out and decided she was ready.  
  
Atherton presented a picture on a sleek tablet to her and her manager. It was a tall and imposing robot, much sleeker and less bulky than the mecha from Gunbuster or Gundam. It almost looked like a person in a bodysuit, armoured in a myriad of bulkier metal plates, with a dark green base and light green highlights. The shape and colour was the least odd thing about it, as the chest, back, arms and legs were plastered with corporate logos. Horizon, Gordon Atherton’s own, sat at the forefront on the mecha’s chest. “This here,” Atherton began, “is Unit Zero.”  
  
“Mr. Atherton,” Yuki’s manager said, “this mech looks quite old. Are we sure that Yuki will be safe inside it?”  
  
“Of course! The original designers might have mothballed it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work like a charm!”  
  
Yuki’s eyes sparkled. This was her mecha. For her dream, she’d get along with Unit Zero and save the world with the six others, making everyone know her name in the process. Those six others, though… She noticed that the tablet had switched to the next image. Six people stared at her in headshots, two girls and four boys.  
  
A rowdy young man with a bandage on the bridge of his nose and a scar running down across his left eye. His red-brown hair was short but messy. The name beneath the image read “Phillip Mhaol”.  
  
A goofy looking boy with white hair and a black leather jacket. His smile was loud and proud. His name read “Takumi Kyosuga”.  
  
A young girl with brilliant amber eyes and a beaming smile. Her brown hair was styled into two twintails much like Yuki’s own. The name beneath read “Elidia”.  
  
A scary looking young woman with an intense glare in her red eyes. Her hair was cut horizontally across the bangs, stretching down beneath her shoulders. Her name was “Azami Sicarius”.  
  
A young boy, with hair that shrouded his features, producing only a look of sadness on his otherwise plain face. His name was “Steiner Laudo”.  
  
An average looking boy with orange hair and a casual smile. Something in his eyes looked intensely sad to Yuki, but she didn’t know why. He was named “Anatoly Petrov.”  
  
Six other Pilots, of the Seven Pilot Candidates if one included Yuki. She looked up at Gordon Atherton and spoke for the first time during the meeting. Her voice was unwavering. “Are these the other Pilots?”  
  
Atherton looked slightly surprised to see Yuki suddenly talk, but he didn’t take any time to reply. “Those are them.”  
  
“I’ll do it,” Yuki declared valiantly. She stood up on the office chair she was seated in and stuck her finger out to proudly declare it to the two people in the room. “I’ll lead me and all my friends to victory!”  
  


* * *

  
  
The Second Impact brought humanity to its knees, but somehow they found a way to survive. In Ireland, the Second Impact devastated the entire island with massive storms and destructive floods. British authority in Northern Ireland ceased almost immediately, and the government of the Republic of Ireland dissolved moments later. Anarchy reigned and people fought for supplies in the rubble of the island’s cities. When humanity is forced to care about nothing but survival, the very things that make us human are destroyed.  
  
Years later, the United Nations decided to reestablish what it considered to be order, and moved in with immense force. Jimmy MacLeiad remembered those days well. The streets were still filled with rubble and trash even thirteen years after the Second Impact. Even with rubber bullets and blue helmets, they were still soldiers fighting a war against the people of Ireland who had tried to survive. The UN didn’t care about the people, no, they only cared about establishing an image of rebuilding the world after devastation.  
  
One time, he and his unit had stumbled into a neighbourhood looking for noncombatants after a scuffle with a gang. All they found was a boy, twelve years old, sitting on a stash of canned food, weapons and jewelry. The only problem was that he was practically feral. Before they even saw him, he took off through a window, bolting through alleyways and former backyards. Jimmy had been the only one to keep up with the boy’s sprint. In a dead end alleyway, Jimmy stared down that child with the scar over his eye. He had been a younger man at the time, but his presence was still much larger than that of the child in front of him, yet somehow the kid wasn’t afraid. He looked into Jimmy’s eyes, not with any hatred, but with a simple acknowledgement of kill or be killed. There was no such thing as capture.  
  
Jimmy carefully took his hand away from the handle of his submachine gun and drew the taser from his hip. The kid didn’t even flinch as Jimmy brought it in front of him and shot him with fifteen hundred volts. Immediately, he ripped the electrodes out of his skin and charged Jimmy, punching him in the jaw with strength a child shouldn’t have. They wrestled each other to the ground, kicking and punching like animals to assert dominance over the other. In the end, Jimmy was on top, forcing the kid’s hands into handcuffs. He thought, days later, that he had only won because he had been about twice the kid’s age. Any younger, and he might have lost.  
  
Jimmy brought the kid back to the UN base in Belfast. The boy never spoke a word and only sat in silence, thumbing the ring on his finger. He barely ate and barely reacted to anything. Jimmy couldn’t stop thinking about that child. The world had been brought to its knees, and so many survivors were like that boy. They had no one else, just themselves and a dangerous world around them. He was just like that boy.  
  
“What’s your name, kid?” he asked one day, seeing if speaking in Gaelic might work.  
  
To Jimmy’s surprise, the boy turned his head and looked at him. “Phillip.”  
  
Jimmy tried to push further. “What’s that ring on your hand?”  
  
Phillip immediately shut his mouth and returned to never saying a word. It took a full week before he could get anything else out of him.  
  
“How long were you alone out there?” Jimmy didn’t know if the kid even kept track of time, but he figured there was no harm in asking.  
  
“Nine years, then one year.” He spoke as if he wasn’t twelve years old, like he was an adult already.  
  
“You were with someone?”  
  
Phillip nodded with a scowl on his face. He couldn’t stop thumbing the ring on his finger. “Two years.”  
  
“What happened to them?”  
  
He never answered that question.  
  
“Your gang’s strong,” Phillip said. “United Nations? Even with your fancy toys, you’re still just like the rest of us, a bunch of dogs trying to bark louder than everyone else.”  
  
“We’re trying to establish peace and order in Ireland.” Not that Jimmy himself necessarily believed that.  
  
“Use your excuses on someone else. You beat me, that means you’re stronger, but that doesn’t mean you’re right.”  
  
“Fine, Phil...” Jimmy just shakes his head. There wasn’t much point in trying to argue with a child.  
  
Phillip turned his head back to Jimmy in bewilderment. “What did you call me?”  
  
“What? Phil? Is that really weird?”  
  
Phillip scowled again. “No.” He scratched the side of his head. “No.”  
  
“Strange kid,” Jimmy mumbled to himself.  
  
It was then that the people in the red berets and the tan uniforms came. Jimmy and the rest of the UN troops watched as they went through the refugees and prisoners, looking for anyone between the ages of twelve and twenty. They took their strange device and tested anyone they could find, trying to find the highest number they could on that dark machine. When they came for Phillip, Jimmy didn’t even bat an eyelash, but they didn’t stop with the device…  
  
One of the officers turned to his comrades. “A Synch Ratio of forty-four? I can’t believe we found someone…” They had Phillip pushed against the chair, arm shoved into the machine. Jimmy hadn’t seen what happened to lead to that, but he rushed in when he heard the number.  
  
“What’s going on?” Jimmy demanded of the officers. “What do you mean you found someone?”  
  
The officer looked up at him, scanning his face. “Oh, you’re the one who’s always with this kid. Tell your superior officer that we’re taking this child into custody.”  
  
Jimmy felt something bubble in his mind, but he bit his tongue and let the rage slip out of him. “Where are you taking him?”  
  
“NERV base here in Ireland.” The officer just shrugged and told him. “Just established to support the Neo-Spartan effort in Britain.”  
  
Jimmy eyed the angry and confused look on Phillip’s face and left immediately, walking all the way from the refugee area and all the way to his commanding officer’s desk. He walked past the secretary and right in front of the man himself. “Get me into NERV’s Ireland base.”  
  
That thought wormed its way into Jimmy’s head and refused to let go. With nothing but a submachine gun and a vision, he put an end to the anarchy in Northern Ireland, pulling people out of danger, saving families, children, and those who had lost all hope. He didn’t believe in the people who lead the United Nations, so he did it himself. As something reminiscent of the days before the Second Impact began to take shape, he picked up an addiction to nicotine, smoking out of habit. As a UN soldier, he had no problem getting cigarettes, but that acknowledgement only pushed him further in his goals. As he pushed himself, conflict put a jaded edge on the man he once was.  
  
He also began to hear things, things about a boy named Phillip Mhaol and a woman named Krieger O’Malley. A pair that added even more fuel onto the fire that had been Ireland, stealing, murdering, cheating… The descriptions of Phillip were varied, but he knew that those stories were about that same boy he had met that day. That woman, Krieger, must have been the one he had told him about. What did that woman do to that kid…?  
  
Jimmy stood watching as the old border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was reestablished, this time with fortified checkpoints and machine guns. However, there was no one left to reignite the Troubles, just the survivors still living past the border in the rubble yet to be entered by the United Nations. It was then that Jimmy was given the go ahead. His transfer request to NERV was accepted, and he was given the title of NERV Tactical Officer.  
  
He took the elevator down to the main level and stepped down to see a massive… thing. A mechanical monstrosity, one of the weapons that was said to have saved mankind during the Angel Wars all those years ago. Grey with green highlights, wide-shouldered… as if it was a hunting dog. He’d read the briefing about the contents of the facility. This was an Assault-Type Evangelion built by the Americans, designated as A-4X1.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Jimmy saw that boy, a couple years older than he had seen him last. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, walking with a swagger that he must have developed during that time they were apart. “So, you made it to this pit, Old Man MacLeiad.”  
  
Jimmy looked up at the Evangelion in front of them and lit up a cigarette. He let out a breath of smoke and smirked. “Yeah, I made it.”  
  


* * *

  
  
While some lost themselves in the chaos of the Second Impact, others were able to hold onto themselves through those long long years. Far away from the nuclear detonation that destroyed Old Tokyo, people had managed to survive in the mountains of Japan. Cut off from the rest of the world, things returned to the time before the Showa era, village elders once again taking up their immense power in remote villages. In one of these villages, the girl named Kurumi Ishihara was born.  
  
Her father had been a professor in Old Tokyo, lucky enough to be on vacation in the countryside before the Second Impact. He and his wife had survived and settled down in a small village to bide their time until they knew things would be safe outside. Communications had been nearly completely wiped out, but a single radio in the village caught wind of the nuclear detonation in Old Tokyo. Clearly, it would not be safe outside the village for a long time.  
  
When the girl was born, her father did all he could to give her an education, scrounging up all the books in the village and giving her daily lessons on all he could. That man put all his hope into his daughter, that one day she would be able to have the life that he did in the old world.  
  
Unfortunately, it was not safe within that village either. With no government to police anything, banditry had become commonplace, and the village that Kurumi Ishihara called home was ransacked. Her mother was killed in the chaos, and her father fled with her into the hills.  
  
With no food or water, he took his daughter away from that place and into the unknown. On the side of a dilapidated road, he found someone. A young boy with a woodcutter’s axe and a leather jacket. He asked the boy if he had anything to eat, as he and his daughter had just escaped from a group of bandits. The boy just smiled and nodded as he spoke in a thick accent. “Sure, anyone who’s runnin’ from bandits is a friend ‘a mine.”  
  
That young boy’s name was Takumi Kyosuga. Professor Ishihara wasn’t able to learn much about the boy’s past, as the manner he spoke piled layer upon layer of obfuscation to even the slightest detail, but he was able to learn some things. His family had been killed by bandits as well, and he had found refuge in a cave filled with Shinto statuettes. From that point on, that was the life the boy knew.  
  
The Ishiharas changed that. Kurumi was a kind girl, always eager to talk to Takumi and make a sort of family from the circumstances they found themselves in. The professor was a smart man, and tried to teach Takumi what he could, treating him like the son he never had. Though, the professor was only ever able to add arithmetic and basic history onto Takumi’s limited knowledge.  
  
Illness took Professor Ishihara one summer, and he was gone in a flash. With Kurumi’s father gone, and being mere children, taking care of each other became more difficult as time went on. Takumi decided, despite everything that had happened, to do that which had destroyed both his families. He joined the same bandits that claimed the life of Kurumi’s mother and did that which was morally reprehensible. Kurumi never asked for the details, only trying to comfort the vacant look that slowly formed on his face.  
  
One day, instead of returning with food and trinkets, Takumi arrived at the mouth of the cave covered in blood, crimson dripping off of the axe he held in his hands. He told her to run away with him, and she did. A UN convoy had been in the area, and the two were lucky enough to run into them. Takumi knew there was nothing left for them in the mountains of Japan, and agreed to evacuate to Tokyo-3.  
  
On the trip to Tokyo-3, one of the soldiers came by with a black device. Both of them were instructed to place their arm within it, and they did, not seeing any danger in the situation. Kurumi’s result was not noteworthy, a mere thirty, but Takumi’s was. “Forty-six?” the soldier said aloud. “Damn. Hey, you’re going to be a hero, kid.”  
  
Takumi just said one thing. “Wherever I’m goin’, Kurumi comes wit’.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Out of the Seven Pilot Candidates, only one had been born to be a Pilot. As China and Russia clawed their way out of the aftermath of the Second Impact, they did the same as many other nations and put aside old geopolitical grievances to focus on the universal goal of rebuilding and combating humanity’s newest threat. The Sino-Russian Eva Cooperative was born ten years after the Second Impact, and it only took one year for immense results to blossom forth.  
  
Evangelion-scale weaponry utilizing the energy capabilities of the positron came first, putting together a new arsenal to fight the Angel menace. The Sniper-type Evangelion model came next, resulting in the Evangelion known as Sleipnir. Grey, with black highlights, it possessed a large singular mono-eye and two wing-like structure on the head reminiscent of rabbit’s ears. Lastly, came the Cooperative’s most prestigious project: the Manufactured Program.  
  
A desire came to field Pilots who would not need to be scouted like the current Pilots were and the Cooperative raced to develop this solution. The Cooperative’s solution was disposable flash clones, and the then fifteen year old prodigy known as Mathias Lishka was brought on board to head the project. Splicing DNA from multiple donors and creating a unique genomic background, Mathias built a basis for clone development and rushed ahead to develop a prototype. Four years later, at the age of nineteen, he birthed the first child of the Manufactured Program.  
  
While still a small bundle of cells in a test tube, he named her Elidia. Within two weeks, she grew to a fetus to an entire girl. He watched in fascination and pride as he brought forth with his own two hands human life and swiftly moved to the second phase of the Manufactured Program. A selection of memories from Mathias’ own life was transmitted into the raw grey matter in Elidia’s skull, grafting a personality, skills, and conditioning onto the two week old girl. At the end of it all, she was the equivalent of a seventeen year old.  
  
The time came to test the fruits of his hard work and dedication, and she was taken out of the tank and placed in a hospital bed to monitor her vitals in a different location. He watched by her bedside as the girl he had created rested in utter silence. Anything that came after this, he knew he himself would be responsible - for both the good and bad, but this girl… This was the one he would care for. Whatever his research was used for after, it was the responsibility of the Cooperative and NERV.  
  
The eyes of that girl opened gently and she looked around. With a smile, she sat up in her bed and looked at him. “Oh, hey, it’s you, Mathias.” She had never met him before, but she spoke like he was an old friend.  
  
Mathias smiled back. “Yes, it’s me.”  
  
He knew that this girl would save the world.  
  


* * *

  
  
While one had been born to be a Pilot, another had been raised to be a Pilot. From a young age, Children were selected shortly after the Second Impact and raised to be the soldiers of the new age. In stark contrast to the solution proposed by the Cooperative, NERV’s Tactical division proposed a different one. Simply put, take the children of UN, NERV and other military personnel and train them to be Pilots from birth. In NERV’s Fourth Branch, or NERV-04, one subsection of the massive Neo-Spartan project began.  
  
At first, it began with twenty children. Put through rigorous tests of physical endurance, coordination, and compatibility with the Eva, the number began to whittle down. In ten years, twenty became four. Azami Sicarius was one of these four, designated the combat specialist of NERV-04’s Neo-Spartan division. They were to be the saviors of humanity, four highly skilled children trained to fight the immense threat against humanity. Azami thought that her destiny of fighting and dying with her squad was decided from the start, but she was immensely wrong.  
  
Their squad leader and AT tactician went behind the backs of the squad and the entire project, breaking through the London firewall and accessing restricted files from NERV’s central servers. Those two learned something, something that destroyed NERV command’s confidence in the Neo-Spartan project.  
  
Things deteriorated quickly. NERV-04’s project was scuttled and the remaining assets were divided among NERV’s branches, including the four Pilots. Azami was the luckiest among them, being the only one sent to NERV HQ to function as a Pilot. She took the only Evangelion the Neo-Spartans had been able to procure, the black and grey Production-type Eva known as Catharsis.  
  
Standing on the tarmac at NERV-04’s airbase, Azami watched as a plane from headquarters arrived. Only one person stepped off that plane, a woman with a visor set against her eyes. Azami saluted her as she approached. “Vice-commander Minoru.”  
  
“There is no need for formalities.” Minoru held her hand toward the plane. “It’s time to leave for Tokyo-3.”  
  
“Before that…” Azami was still rigid in her posture. “Are the six others already there?”  
  
Minoru’s hand dropped slowly and she seemed to stare intently at Azami for a long time. Was she thinking? Was whatever was behind that visor taking up her attention? Azami couldn’t tell, but she waited. Finally, she spoke. “If you are concerned, Azami, there is no need to be. They will accept you.”  
  
“I see,” Azami said. “I will focus on the mission then.”  
  
Minoru turned to leave, but she knew the real purpose of Azami’s words. It was not concern over their acceptance of her, but her own acceptance of them. Such was the way of the Neo-Spartans. They were all soldiers until the end.  
  


* * *

  
  
No one was quite as mundane as Steiner Laudo. He was like many of the children that were born after the Second Impact, orphaned shortly after their birth. However, Steiner had been born in Germany, which had ended up more stable than many other countries in the European Union. He couldn’t even remember his parents, having been shoved into orphanage after orphanage. He made no friends, keeping himself occupied with books for most of his life. Ideas and learning was all he had, and even if he did want friends, he never had the chance to make them. Each transfer to a new orphanage would have tore apart his bonds with his fellow children, and Steiner knew better than to let that happen.  
  
At one of the more well funded orphanages, Steiner became fascinated with the computers supplied to the children for the purposes of edutainment. He was quick to ditch the children’s games and programs, going straight to the internet to learn the ins and outs of the technology in front of him. Within a year, he had cracked open the operating system beneath it all and rebuilt it from scratch, enhancing the nature of its read and write protocols, reconstructing the user interface, and developing an entirely new virtual memory subsystem. He was a genius in that regard, but he never told anyone about what he did. Steiner did everything in secret, considering himself to be nothing but a useless child and a waste of the orphanage’s space.  
  
Even though he kept himself secluded, he was eventually caught with numerous electronic parts in his room, soldering a circuit board with parts that he had scavenged from trashed tablets and computers. The adults were confused, but set him aside until they determined if they should do anything about such things, but something else happened.  
  
The NERV agent looked at the computer readout and stepped back in surprise. “Fifty-seven!? That’s- that’s higher than anyone else, right? Higher than the Neo-Spartans, higher than the Manufactured, higher than those derelict kids…”  
  
They told Steiner that he was special, that he was destined to save the world from an immense threat, but Steiner didn’t believe them. He was just another orphan in a devastated world. He wasn’t anyone special or heroic or brave. He was just a kid.  
  


* * *

  
  
Six of the Pilots were new, but one was not. Anatoly Petrov had been born shortly after the Second Impact, but his family was killed almost immediately. An adoptive family took him in, but their home was crushed in a freak accident when a steel beam fell on it, leaving him alone yet again. He fell in with a street gang, but they perished in a raid on an electronics store. Before he could find a new group by himself, or perish like the rest, he was arrested by a UN patrol, scouted as a Pilot and taken away from Russia to Tokyo-3.  
  
His fellow Pilots became his new family, but Anatoly’s luck followed him everywhere. One was paralyzed from the waist down when he interacted with an enemy AT Field. One disappeared without a trace, unable to be found by NERV’s Section-2. The last was lucky, declared unfit to Pilot and relegated to NERV’s Technical division.  
  
He had heard it all already. Soon, six new Pilots would be assigned to NERV HQ. He passed by his superior, Sachiko Minoru, in the hallway, and she asked him a simple question. “Are you ready to welcome the next group of Children?”  
  
“Of course I am,” he said without hesitation. Anatoly turned around to look at the back of that woman’s head. “It’ll be fine. After all, I’ll be the one leaving them this time.”


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two Pilots arrive at NERV headquarters for Synchronization tests. NERV command holds a briefing for the rest after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half here a bit of an info dump, but it's also not, if you consider it from the greater picture. Oh well. Still an info dump.

In the aftermath of the Second Impact, Tokyo-3 had become the city that never sleeps. Vehicles packed the streets, the rail system shuttled people endlessly, and at night the city was a brilliant star of light. In the morning of a cold day in November, as the snow fell all around them, the Pilots made their way to NERV headquarters.  
  
Gerard Josephs leaned against his signature black limousine on the NERV airstrip, ready to receive two of those seven. These two were technically pure NERV assets, but he didn't see it that way. All of them were still just kids, each and every one of them. It didn't matter if their entire lives had been dedicated to this project, all that mattered was whatever they wanted to do with their lives.  
  
Two VTOLs landed in front of him simultaneously, opening up their rear cargo doors so that four people could step out into the snow. Sachiko Minoru stepped off first, making the trek over to the other aircraft to meet the man who stepped off next. "Doctor Lishka, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." She extended her hand to him.  
  
"The pleasure is all mine, Vice-commander. It's good to finally be a part of the NERV team." He took her hand and shook it, not even slightly put off by the visor she never took off. "I hope I'll be able to help you all as head of Technical."  
  
Gerard called out from the sidelines. "Nice to meet you, Doc! You're my new boss, I'm guessin’?"  
  
Sachiko didn't say anything and Mathias took it upon himself to respond. "I suppose I am. What's your name?" If he was expected to memorize the entire staff list… Well, he was a prodigy, but not that kind of prodigy.  
  
"Gerard Josephs, at your service!" He gave Mathias an elegant bow. "Former Pilot, member o’ the Technical division, part o’ the bridge crew and…" Gerard gestured with both his hands at the limousine behind him. "I’m also your chauffeur for the day."  
  
One of the windows slowly descended on the limousine, and a black man with a kind face leaned out. "He means to say he'll be driving you to headquarters. Commander Minoru is expecting Sachiko and yourself to begin preparations to synchronize the new Pilots to their Evas."  
  
Sachiko seemed to acknowledge this. "Thank you, Gerard, Darius. Doctor Lishka, we would like to Synchronize the Neo-Spartan and Manufactured Program Pilots as soon as possible, before the others arrive if it is manageable." She turned to look toward the two VTOLs. "Is Elidia well?"  
  
"Of course, I just told her to wait while I talked to you. I didn't know if we'd be waiting for long or not."  
  
As if on cue, a girl in a fluffy jacket, earmuffs, and with two long twintails jumped out of the VTOL and skidded to action. "I'm here!" she shouted and ran toward the pair, almost falling to her feet but only managing to slide and then jump at Mathias. "This isn't Tokyo-3, right? Just the NERV airstrip?" she said as Mathias was sprawled out on the ground, dazed. Gerard went to help the man up.  
  
"Correct," Sachiko said. "This airstrip connects to the GeoFront via cargo elevator. Gerard will only have to drive a short distance."  
  
"Ya make it sound like I'm near useless, Sachi. Been a damn fine Pilot since I came here! Well, I'm not a Pilot anymore, but that ain't the point." He scratched his head. "What was I talking about again?"  
  
"I believe you were just about to get into the driver's seat," she said and turned away from him. "Azami, are you ready to leave?"  
  
The girl with the dark hair stepped off the VTOL, taking Sachiko's words as an order. She wore nothing as cute and fluffy as what Elidia was wearing, just a NERV military issue trench coat. Absolutely rigid, she stepped in line beside Sachiko. "I am." Azami's eyes traced over Elidia. "Manufactured."  
  
Elidia immediately sneered at the word. "Neo-Spartan."  
  
Elidia immediately did not like this woman. Her gaze had an intense glare to it, as if she was scrutinizing everything she looked at, including her. She was also far too military, just like the officers that always harassed Mathias when they were in Russia. To top it off, she was a Neo-Spartan, the rival project to the Manufactured. Where that project had been praised, Elidia's had only been scrutinized by those who were afraid of new science. Elidia prepared to say something, maybe demand some respect from the woman, but Mathias put a guiding hand on her shoulder. "Let's go, Eli."  
  
They all piled into the limousine and began the trip to NERV HQ. As they strapped in and found their seats, the third man introduced himself. "So, you're the two new Pilots?" He gave them a reassuring smile. "It's good to meet you. My name is Darius Volpe. I'd tell the both of you to break a leg, but that might be in poor taste."  
  
The two only needed to look slightly down before they found that he was in a wheelchair, but before that, Azami was already speaking. "Mr. Volpe, sir. It's an honour to meet one of my predecessors in the Neo-Spartan program. Your service was truly an inspiration to my entire division."  
  
Darius did not doubt that in the slightest, these were Neo-Spartans after all. "There's no need to be so formal," he said. "I'm sure Sachiko told you that." She gave him a curt nod and he continued. "We might be part of NERV and the UN, but we're not strictly military personnel. I think your fellow Pilots would like it if you put aside the military conduct for awhile."  
  
"Of course, sir." She didn't seem to understand what he was saying. He could only shrug and move on.  
  
"Elidia, isn't it? It's good to finally meet you. I've heard a great many things about your accomplishments in the last two years." His smile put Elidia off, but she didn't let it show on her face.  
  
This guy was a Neo-Spartan too? If so, then what was the deal with the one sitting across from her? It seemed like one of the many mysteries NERV had on offer, so Elidia just put it to the side for now. “Thank you very much.” She still had to be polite. “Is Sleipnir at headquarters yet?”  
  
Darius nodded once. “They are. Isn’t that right, Gerard?”  
  
“Yup.” He took his eyes completely off the road and turned to look at everyone as if he was backing up, even though he clearly wasn’t. “Got your Sleipnir, Miss Eli, and your Catharsis, Miss Azami.”  
  
“Gerard,” Darius said with a firm intensity as they nearly collided with the thick metal door to the cargo elevator. “Eyes on the road.”  
  
“Huh? Oh, oh, yeah.” He slammed his foot on the brake, just barely averting a horrific crash. Gerard rolled down the window, speaking to the NERV security officer quickly in a comedic accent. “If you could open the gate for us, my good man. We have some very important dignitaries visiting us today.”  
  
The officer leaned through the window. “These are the two Pilots? The Neo-Spartan and the tank child, huh.” He gave a dismissive look to the two of them.  
  
Gerard shoved the man back through the window. “That’s enough of that. Just get the door open, will ya?”  
  
Elidia huffed quietly. “He called me a ‘tank child’. There are people like that even here…”  
  
Sachiko was the one to respond to this comment. “There is little we can do to change public sentiment other than the efforts of our public relations team. If you are worried that anyone like those from the Coalition for Responsible Genomics reside within these walls, you have no cause for concern.”  
  
“Good,” Elidia stated simply. If there was any group of people that angered Elidia particularly, it was them. She looked to the other people in the limo to gauge their reactions. Sachiko had already said her piece, but was otherwise unreadable. Darius gave her a sympathetic nod. Mathias was looking out the window, a troubled expression on his face. She could see Gerard in the rearview mirror wearing a goofy smile. But Azami… She was staring at her with that hateful glare.  
  
Elidia narrowed her eyes at Azami, meeting that stare head on. The Neo-Spartan shifted her gaze away immediately, acting as if nothing odd had occurred. Elidia didn’t say anything, and just turned to look out the windshield.  
  
The cargo elevator descended into NERV’s Tokyo-3 headquarters, lights passing by with steady pace as the limousine was carried further and further into the underbelly of such a powerful organization. Elidia watched when the elevator finally opened up into the hangar bay, displaying those two giants for all to see.  
  
All the occupants of the limo clambered out, staring up at the two glaring red eyes of Catharsis and the amber mono-eye of Sleipnir. Elidia couldn’t help but raise her two hands up toward hers, smiling in jovial greeting. “I’m back, Sleipnir!” Azami just gazed upward, a blank look plastered on her face.  
  
Vacancy passed over Mathias as he regards the hulking beasts. He said nothing to allude to the thoughts in his mind, but there was something there in his eyes - remnants of fear, something he once tasted in the presence of these things. Sachiko made a miniscule tilt to her head, and Mathias caught it instantly. “Let’s get started.”  
  
The two Pilots were sent to get changed and the four NERV staff members are brought up to the observation deck build into the side of the wall in that massive hangar. Monitors are booted up, displaying screens yet to be filled with Pilot vitals and Evangelion synchronization data. Sachiko gestured to one of the stations, and Mathias takes a seat there, booting up the computer station.  
  
Immediately, the face of a small girl appeared right on the computer screen. “Hello~!” she shouted, nearly knocking Mathias out of his chair and out onto the floor again. “Are you Doctor Mathias? You can call me Rabbit. All my friends do.”  
  
Mathias took a moment to not die of a heart attack. “Yes, well. Hello there.” Gerard giggled in the background. “Rabbit? Can I ask what it is exactly that you do here?” Whoever this was, there wasn’t any reason to be rude.  
  
“Oh, oh, oh!” Rabbit stepped away from the front of the screen, revealing herself to be wearing a frilly french maid’s outfit, complete with lace headpiece. It was a cute sort of outfit, not one with any other connotations from what Mathias could see. Nonetheless, Rabbit continued. “I’m the artificial intelligence built into the MAGI supercomputer to act as the conduit for communication between Pilots, staff and Evangelion!”  
  
Mathias smiled a little bit. “Really then? Can you prove it?”  
  
Rabbit set a hand against her digital chin and thought for a moment. “You’re Doctor Mathias Lishka, project head for the Manufactured Program commissioned by the Sino-Russian Eva Cooperative under the supervision of NERV and the United Nations. The Pilot from that project is Elidia, born two years ago utilizing experimental genetic splicing techniques-”  
  
“You’ve proved it! You’ve proved it.” No kid that looked as old as the AI should know that, so he presumed he was fully in the presence of a genuine artificial intelligence. “How do the Eva look? Will it be safe for Elidia?”  
  
“Of course!” Rabbit said, jumping up with her hands in the air. When she landed, transparent ones and zeroes brush up from the virtual floor like dust. “I’m sure Sleipnir will play nice!”  
  
“Good, good.” Mathias leaned back in his chair, just in time for Sachiko to set a cup of coffee on his desk. “Thank you. Have the Pilots finished changing yet?”  
  
A hovering holographic screen appeared beside Rabbit and she turned toward it to look at the camera feed outside the Pilot changing room. Even Mathias could see the two Pilots standing outside, waiting. “Yup!” Rabbit said.  
  
“All right.” He stood up. “I’ll be back, everyone.”  
  
“Oh now?” Gerard mused. “So you’re one of those ‘helicopter parents’ I’ve heard so much about, Doc? Didn’t peg you for one.”  
  
Mathias set a hand on his shoulder as he passed him by. “Josephs? I’ll have you know I am rather adept with a scalpel, but not when I’m angry.” He let his hand slip off as he left. “Hopefully you’ll never need to see the medical bay.”  
  
Darius laughed quietly as Gerard suddenly looked very nervous. “Has the great Gerard Josephs finally met his match?”  
  
“Of course not! He’s just kiddin’. Right, Sachi?”  
  
Sachiko set her hands against the main command console and did not respond to the two’s comments. “Prepare synchronization sequence.”  
  
On the safety railed walkways, Mathias met Azami first, leaning against the personnel elevator to the first Eva slot. He didn’t know if the Neo-Spartan was one for conversation, but he didn’t hold the same feelings that Elidia did on the rivalry between the two programs. There was still resentment and jealousy at the reaction that program had garnered, but he was an adult. “Miss Sicarius…”  
  
The woman raised her head and that glare pierced his entire body, but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with. In terms of her plugsuit, it was far more military than any others he had seen. Several pieces of silver polymer armour protected her vitals, and the places without it were covered in a black hexagonal mesh pattern. On the back of her left hand was some sort of digital screen, displaying something he couldn’t quite make out. “Doctor Lishka. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Her tone was entirely plain and he couldn’t parse anything other than cold professionalism from the way she spoke. He had a degree in psychiatric medicine, for God’s sake…  
  
“The pleasure is all mine.” He had used that same line on Sachiko, but the Neo-Spartan hadn’t heard it. Mathias extended his hand to her in a handshake and she took it, shaking with a firm intensity that was oddly mechanical.  
  
“Was there anything that you needed in particular, Doctor?”  
  
“I thought that I would tell you that I am also taking up medical duties for the Pilots, and that includes psychiatric care.” He scrutinized the woman for the slightest deviation as he spoke. “If you ever need anyone to speak to about anything, my door will always be open.”  
  
“I will be fine. Your care should be concentrated on the wellbeing of the civilian Pilots.” Azami didn’t budge. Mathias didn’t know if that was a failure or a success.  
  
“Well, the offer still stands. Good luck in the test.” He took off immediately, heading further down the platform to the second elevator.  
  
Elidia met him before he could even make it the whole way, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it tightly. “Mathias, it’s finally happening! You’re here. Sleipnir’s here. We’re finally going to make history!” She had on her more standard plugsuit, the same colours of grey and black as her Eva. Elidia really was a pure bundle of joy, bouncing up and down while holding his hand. Mathias managed a tired smile. So much work had gone into this moment, the one that would solidify all the hard work they had put into the Manufactured Program.  
  
Elidia caught his look immediately and her expression dimmed away from that joy. “You look tired… You did remember to eat and sleep when we were still back at the Mnemosyne, right?”  
  
Mathias shifted his train of thought to happier things. “Don’t worry, I did. I’m not one to push myself past what my body can handle.” Those words straddled the line between lie and truth far more than anything else he had ever spoken. He set his thumb against the palm of her hand and held her fingers calmly in his. “Are you ready?”  
  
The worry in her eyes shifted to resolve. “I was born ready.”  


* * *

  
The bridge staff watched as the two elevators ascended up to the entry plugs and the two Pilots clambered inside. Gerard sat at his console, typing away as he watched out the large window. “All right… Grabbin’ the plugs.” Two mechanical pincers squeezed down on the long tubes, running down a long rail toward the two stationed Evangelion. As soon as they were positioned above the Eva, the armour around the spinal columns folded away, and Gerard set in the command to begin plug injection.  
  
The plugs rotated into place and were enclosed into those massive shells with a click. Elidia was utterly calm, watching as the highly advanced technology of her entry plug sprung to life. Twin rectangular holograms sprung to life as a crash harness anchored her into position within her seat. Her hands ran against the analog buttons and switches of the seat itself, making sure nothing was damaged in transport. Finally, the telemetric and schematic data appeared at the bottom of her vision, waiting for Sleipnir’s arrival. “It’s been too long, Sleipnir. Are you ready?”  
  
Something began to pool in the plug, filling it with the distinct smell of blood. It rose steadily, starting as a mere puddle on the ground. Elidia knew exactly what this was, the one thing that allowed Pilots the ability to synchronize with the Eva: LCL. It reached her stomach, gently lifting her arms up from their rests on the chair before swallowing them up entirely. Once it reached her neck, crawled up her face, and filled the plug to the very brim, Elidia took in a breath, filling her lungs with LCL as she had so many times before.  
  
Gerard tapped his desk and waited for the go ahead from Sachiko. With her nod, he flipped the switch. “Engaging Synchronization event.”  
  
A hand reached out from the endless nothing and Elidia took it in hers, slipping into the warm embrace of Sleipnir’s soul. Never had a connection between Pilot and Eva been more pure than the one between Elidia and Sleipnir. Its senses became her own. Its warmth became her own. She looked down as she began to see through her companion’s eye, seeing the staff of NERV begin to gather on the walkways and by the windows to see the unveiling of the two Eva. From Sleipnir’s eyes, those people were so small, so fragile… so precious. Only the Eva could save them from their enemies. Only the Pilots could save humanity.  
  
Darius pawed through the monitors, shifting in his seat. Everything was green, nothing was on the verge of falling into chaos. “They did it. Synchronization achieved.” He smirked at the window. “If anyone could do it flawlessly, it would be those two.” Darius reached forward and pressed his thumb against the intercom button on one of the screens. “How are you two feeling up there?”  
  
Elidia responded immediately. “Me and Sleipnir are a-okay over here!” The two ear-like structures, floppy like a rabbit’s, suddenly sprang up with the same excitement Elidia had.  
  
Azami spoke with much less excitement. “I’m ready, Mr. Volpe.”  
  
“Good, good.” Darius pointed toward Rabbit as he disengaged the restraints of the Evangelion, the two massive beasts able to step away from their racks without any problems. “The higher-ups would like a demonstration to bolster confidence. Rabbit, if you would do the honours.”  
  
A massive gate at the side of the hangar opened up, revealing an even larger field for the Evangelion to walk about. As the lights snapped on, one after the other, something was revealed in the darkness. A large creature, resting upon four legs, sat in the middle of the field. Elidia immediately recognized it as a dog, but the metal plates and hydraulic limbs revealed it to be not simply a canine. It took a step forward, massive jaw opening to reveal massive gnashing teeth, but that wasn’t the most interesting part. In the center was a red, pulsating sphere, the core of an Angel.  
  
Before anyone could panic, a screen opened up in Elidia’s heads up display. A cute girl in a maid’s outfit pointed out like some sort of hero of justice. “This is Naya! That’s what I named him, since he’s my pet!” Steam poured out from its nostrils. “The latest in fake core technology!”  
  
Darius continued from where the girl left off. “Full designation: Nayaial, an artificial Angel. The core is capable of projecting a legitimate AT Field, though not as powerful as a real Angel’s. Don’t worry about repair. I’m sure the engineers would be happy to rebuild Nayaial after witnessing a fight like this.” He didn’t really need to tell these two to not hold back. They were professionals. “Whenever you’re all ready.”  
  
The image of Rabbit flashed and she was suddenly standing atop an animated version of Nayaial, arms crossed as her outfit changed to that of a stereotypical Japanese delinquent, coat flapping in the wind. “I am White Rabbit, and this is my pet Naya! He’s tough, his claws are sharp, and - “ Her mouth turned into a cartoon cat’s - “We’re gonnya getcha! Rawr!”  
  
The two Evangelion stared down Nayaial, Elidia laughing in her plug. Azami wasn’t quite so happy. Catharsis threw its arm out to the side. “Progressive spear.” A metal pole sprang out from the wall and she grabbed it, spinning it in her hands to point it forward. On the end was a vibrating blade, softly humming in the hall. Her head tilted downward, red eyes glaring.  
  
“Yeah, well! Gimme a P-8 rifle!” A large frame of metal shot up from the ground and she grabbed it. It was a sizable piece of equipment, with a massive barrel designed to fire high penetration battleship cannon shells. While she’d rather have a positron cannon, there really wasn’t enough room to operate with one.  
  
Elidia felt Azami’s gaze and the soldier spoke. “Can you keep up with me, Manufactured?”  
  
“You keep up with me!” she yelled back.  
  
Azami and Catharsis sprinted forward as Elidia dropped down to line up the shot. She couldn’t hit the core directly, as there was a possibility of an explosion. Despite what Darius had said, Elidia could not risk hurting anyone in the base, so she’d just need to destroy all of the limbs.  
  
Azami met Nayaial head on, pulling her AT Field tight to move in as close as possible and jam the spear directly into the AT Field. The hexagonal pattern of the field crackled, and the Angel retaliated in kind, slashing its claws in large crisscrossing motions. Azami pulled herself back, deflecting the strikes with the tip of the spear in steady rhythm. “Is that the best you have, White Rabbit?” Azami asked, slightly playful.  
  
“I have an entire deck up my sleeve!” Rabbit said. “Hahaha!” Nayaial stepped up onto its hind legs and pulled up one of its claws, ready to strike.  
  
Elidia’s targeting reticles lined up, information from the Magi supercomputer streaming across her vision. “Fire!” The rifle bucked, steam spraying out from its vents, sending a bullet right into Nayaial’s paw. An explosion shoved Nayaial back, sending out mechanical bits to bounce against Azami’s AT Field. The shell had pierced right through the Angel’s AT Field, a testament to the power of the Sniper-type Evangelion.  
  
“Nice job, Eli!” Rabbit said. “That’s gonna make it harder for me! Buuuuut~” Nayaial had no trouble walking on three feet and spun about, catching Azami completely off guard. With a swing of the massive tail behind Nayaial, Azami was sent sprawling, but that didn’t stop Rabbit. Instantly, Azami was pounced upon, massive jaws crushing the arm that Azami brought up to stop her head from being ripped out.  
  
Elidia knew she had to do something. She couldn’t prove the naysayers wrong and let the Neo-Spartan be defeated while she just watched. So, Elidia slid forward, bringing the P-8 rifle onto her knee. “Hey, Rabbit!” she called out, and when Nayaiel lifted its head to look at her, she pulled the trigger. Its head rocked backward, freeing Azami from its grasp.  
  
“Is that it?” Elidia asked, lowering the gun in her hands.  
  
“Nope~!” Rabbit called out, and Nayaial made one last motion to crush Azami’s head with a paw. The Neo-Spartan moved faster than the Angel, snapping the progressive spear with one hand before shoving the vibrating blade into the core.  
  
The core… “Azami, are you insane?” The red sphere of the core cracked as Azami withdrew her hand and immediately flashed white. A core explosion was imminent.  
  
Kicking backward, Azami shoved the artificial Angel away from her, using the momentum of her swing to aid in the motion. Unfortunately for Elidia, Nayaial’s body came at her before she could react, hitting her in the chest like a truck and pinning her firmly to the deck. Sudden fear gripped Elidia in its fist. At this range, a core explosion could kill her instantly. Would the bridge crew be fast enough to pull the plug? Could they even do that? Was… was she going to die?  
  
The core flashed and then faded, blood spilling from the cracks to paint Sleipnir’s legs in the sickly red of Angel’s blood. Some of the tension faded from Elidia’s mind, but most of it remained as a sickly cloud. That woman- no, that Neo-Spartan had nearly killed her. She was just like all the rest, just like all the people that doubted her and called her petty names and didn’t believe in the hope that she wanted to bring them.  
  
Rabbit’s voice played out over the base’s intercom. “You did it! You won!” The girl seemed immensely happy, and Elidia let the doubt and anger subside for just that moment.  
  
Darius resumed his position in guiding the exercise. “Good job out there, both of you. We’ll have Gerard go and pick you up.”  
  
Sachiko’s voice came from further away from Darius’ microphone. “Confirm plug ejection.”  
  
The plugs unscrewed themselves and popped out in an instant. Elidia reached her hand out to feel the light brush of Sleipnir’s fingertips as they departed from each other once more. This time, they would see each other again soon. They were going to be heroes now.  


* * *

  
On the deck of the NERV hangar, leaned up against her entry plug, Elidia found Azami. She was utterly silent, simply staring ahead with her arms crossed. Elidia was not having any of that. "Azami Sicarius, what were you thinking!? You nearly got me killed with that move!" She pointed at the woman threateningly, making sure Azami knew her exact intentions.  
  
The Neo-Spartan turned to look at her, and Elidia could see those angry eyes. "I did not mean to harm you. I miscalculated."  
  
"You expect me to believe that? You expect me to believe you, with all your training, didn't mean to throw Nayaial at me?" Azami nodded once. "Well, of course I don't believe it! You've done nothing but look down on me since we got here, and I won't have someone on my team who just wants to get me killed!" She threw her arm to the side to accentuate her point. "You're just like all the others! A selfish Neo-Spartan would never understand what it means to be me. Whatever you've gone through would never compare to the pain I've suffered!" Elidia was fuming now, but she wanted Azami to know exactly what their relationship would be. Elidia would not play second fiddle to a woman like her. She had just as much right to be a Pilot!  
  
When Elidia's last words reached Azami's ears, a crack formed. The intense glare fell away all at once, replaced with a look of utter contempt. Where there had been anger, an emotion Elidia could understand, now there was a void in those red eyes. Elidia met Azami's gaze and she fell deep into the hate that sprung out from those crimson depths, fear beginning to eat away at the anger she had been feeling a moment ago. "I don't understand, you say? I understand perfectly well, Manufactured. You are the hope for all humanity, and I am nothing more than a soldier destined to die fighting for that hope." Red. All she could see was red, like a bull lost in a matador's cape. An endless sea of red. "Hold up that shining hope, and I will swallow up all the despair around us when my life is snuffed out protecting you."  
  
"What are you even talking about…?" Elidia asked. Azami wasn't making any sense. "How does that even connect to what I said?"  
  
Azami took a step forward, towering over the girl with her superior stature. "Never tell me that I am the one who doesn't understand when you yourself do not understand anything."  
  
Elidia looked up at the woman and then turned away, teeth grinding together. Azami's words hurt more than any core explosion could have. Elidia understood! She understood perfectly well the nature of her position. To save people, she had to understand people, it was as simple as that. All those memories she had been given from Mathias were for that purpose. So why was Azami telling her this? Was she right?  
  
No! She was wrong! Elidia could feel the tears fall from her eyes. Azami was wrong! Elidia had been born to understand mankind and save it from the enemies that would destroy it! "You're wrong," she spat out. "Even if you were right about me, you're wrong about yourself! Everyone always said you were the hope for mankind. They always said the Neo-Spartans would save us, but they were wrong! They can't even feel empathy! You're just going to…" Elidia shook, her legs buckling. "You're just going to get us all killed." Eli sought no response and turned away.  
  
Gerard's limo pulled in front of them, and the man rolled down the window. "Hey, good job, you two-" He paused when he saw them. "What's going on?"  
  
Elidia said nothing, and stepped forward to climb inside. She expected Azami to climb in after her and continue the argument, but she didn't. Instead, the Neo-Spartan walked up to the driver side window. "Dr. Josephs, tell Dr. Lishka that Elidia experienced a sudden painful amount of Synchronization feedback."  
  
"Hmmm…? I don't recall anything like that on the monitors."  
  
Azami pushed him on this. "Tell him this, please, Dr. Josephs."  
  
"No," Elidia said from the backseat. "That's not what happened."  
  
Azami was quiet. "I see. I'll walk, Doctor."  
  
Gerard wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but he called after Azami once she began to walk away. "This hangar is like, way too long for that. It'll take an hour for you…" But Azami was already gone, and she didn't look back.  
  
Gerard really was stumped. "Well, let's getcha checked out, Elidia. Don't want my new boss to be worried now."  


* * *

  
Two hours later, three Pilots gathered in a bright conference room deep within the GeoFront and NERV headquarters. One of the three was already causing quite a commotion. “We’re finally at NERV!” she shouted, hands lifted up toward the ceiling. “That means we’re heroes now, you got that?”  
  
Steiner had one of his hands against the side of his head, trying to fade into the background. Yuki was not having that. “Come on, Steiner! Haven’t you ever wanted to be a hero? Isn’t that the dream of anyone our ages?” She looked over at the other Pilot in the room, the one who had his feet on the table. “Come on, Phillip! Help me over here!”  
  
The man didn’t look her way. “If he doesn’t want to get in the Eva, don’t bother with him. This isn’t some game.”  
  
“I know that! But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time saving the world, does it? With all our courage, we can do anything! I’ll make sure of it!”  
  
Steiner let his hand drop from his face, but his eyes remain on the floor. Those eyes were completely devoid of anything resembling courage or hope. Simply, there was nothing there. “I’m not brave like you two,” he said simply. “That’s all there is to it. Sorry.”  
  
“Why are you apologizing? There’s no need to do that. If you were chosen, that means NERV saw something inside of you that could save the world!” Yuki pointed right at him, trying to will her energy into him.  
  
It looked like it worked, as the boy finally did lift his head up. There was a small smile there. “Thank you, Yuki.” No spark erupted in his eyes, but Yuki didn’t notice that.  
  
A knock came to the door and the three looked up to see Darius wheel in with the entirety of the bridge crew. “Is everyone ready?” The rest didn’t ask, as they knew full well that the Pilots were not actually being given a choice.  
  
Yuki was the one to answer that question. “Of course we are!”  
  
The three other Pilots filed in behind them, taking up the remaining positions on the Pilot’s side. Finally, the collective hope of humanity was gathered into one place. Darius couldn’t help but smile at such a gathering. “All right then. We have a few minutes before Commander Minoru makes his appearance, so why don’t we get some basic introductions out of the way. Anatoly-” Darius looked back at the gathering of Pilots, not seeing him. “Where are you?”  
  
“I’m sitting beside you,” the young man said, standing from his chair. He gives his fellow Pilots a small wave with his hand, smiling all the way. “Yo, name’s Anatoly. Nice to finally meet all of you guys. I’ll be your mentor for a bit, but I’ll be doing the same thing as the rest of you. Get in the Eva, kill stuff, get paid, save the girl.” A simple introduction, nothing fancy. He gave Darius a nod and sat back down.  
  
“Good, Yuki-”  
  
Yuki was already on the table. “The name’s Yuki Minase!” She swung her hands around herself, making a heart on her chest with her fingers. “I’m the superstar pop sensation from GEM247 and Ai-Ro-N! Me, Michiko and Sahar are going to take the world by storm with our metal-inspired music!” At the end of it, her hand was over her eye in a peace sign, signalling her finish.  
  
“Get off the table, Yuki,” Phillip said, feet still on the table. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”  
  
“Hey, this is all part of being an idol! You gotta sell yourself to the audience!”  
  
Darius stepped in, splitting the two apart. “That’s quite enough. Phillip, are you volunteering to go next?”  
  
“Fine. I’m Phillip.”  
  
“That’s it?”  
  
“That’s it,” Phillip said with a challenge beneath the words.  
  
Darius had better things to do than to argue with children. “All right. Azami…?”  
  
The Neo-Spartan stood up and placed her hands behind her back. “Azami Sicarius, NERV 4th Branch Neo-Spartan. Close combat specialist.” She sat down immediately after.  
  
Takumi jumped up. “Heh, thas all a bit formal, eh, Aza-chan? Lemme show ya how it’s done.” He took a bit of a bow, piles of jewelry, doujinshi and cash slipping out of his sleeves. “Name’s Kyosuga. Now ‘cause I like ya all so much, why don’t we make a little wager-” he pulled a deck of cards out from his jacket, only to spill them all over the floor. Steiner looked down at his feet to find half the deck consisting of queens of hearts, while the other half were twos of spades. “Oh, well that deck was no good. How ‘bout you go, Eli-chan?”  
  
“Eli-chan- How do you even know- Oh well.” Elidia stood up, smoothing out the creases on her skirt as she did. “Elidia. I like long walks on the beach and having fun with my friends.”  
  
Yuki beamed as she suddenly realized. “You’re Elidia? The Pilot from the Manufactured Program? The one that’s gonna save mankind?”  
  
“I wouldn’t go that far, but that’s me.” Mathias was always humble, so she would too. She could see him give her a reassuring nod in the corner of her eye. “Nice to meet you, Yuki! I hope we can get along!”  
  
Yuki took Eli’s hand and jumped up and down. “Of course! We’ll get along, and everyone else will as well!” She turned around, pointing toward Steiner while still holding onto Elidia’s hand. “It’s time, Steiner!”  
  
Steiner looked up, anxiety rushing over him like a flood. Why did he have to introduce himself? He didn’t know these people. Steiner didn’t want to know these people. He wasn’t a saviour of humanity like Elidia or a courageous person like Yuki, he was just… He was just Steiner Laudo. He was no one.  
  
Someone set their hand on his shoulder and he looked to the side to see the threatening glare of Azami. Anxiety turned to fear, but the words that she spoke weren’t hostile. “Go on. Simply tell them your name.”  
  
“Ah… Yes, okay.” He nodded and took a breath. “My name is Steiner Laudo. I hope I can get along with everyone too.”  
  
Azami removed her hand, but Yuki gave him a reassuring smile. “All right! That’s everyone! The heroes of justice have all been assembled!” Yuki threw the spotlight back to the front of the room, where an entirely new man had arrived.  
  
A middle-aged man with black hair coughed into his hand. “Yes, now. Let’s begin. We all have more important things to do than sit in a room. I’m sure you’re all as sick of each other as I am of you, so we’ll get this over with.” Some people laughed, not entirely sure if the man is joking or not. He cleared his throat and turned everyone’s attention to the main screen as the lights dimmed and the bright and cheery face of White Rabbit appeared. “All seven of you have been chosen to protect the world from the immense threats at our gates. NERV has placed the world upon your shoulders. By all rights, you should be allowed to live a normal life and have a happy childhood.” The man glanced toward Sachiko, but no one caught it. “This isn’t something we should be able to ask.”  
  
Azami caught a motion from Darius to place a hand on the old man’s back, but the senior Neo-Spartan didn’t go through with it. Azami didn’t say anything. Commander Minoru just continued. “But we must and will ask this. We ask for your trust, in both us and what we have created. It is only fair that we trust you in turn. That is the purpose of this meeting. To show you the truth so that the future is laid bare. Rabbit, if you will."  
  
"Sure thing!" the young girl says, untold amounts of names for files scroll down the screen at an alarming rate before one is taken out. "Here we are!"  
  
Footage from a satellite showing a great swath of Antarctica, the continent that no longer existed, centered itself on the screen. The only thing that was visible was ice, miles and kilometers of white ice. From the center of the continent, a beacon of red light blooms in all its stunning glory, before expanding with rapid momentum, swallowing up landmass like it was nothing - like an entire continent was simply an appetizer. It seemed to stop for a moment before shaking, shimmering, and exploding outward, destroying the rest of the continent and bringing about the event known as the Second Impact. "Twenty years ago, the world ended. Humanity was told that a meteor crashed into Antarctica and caused Second Impact, killing billions in the immediate and long-term aftermath. That was only the story concocted by NERV and the United Nations." The footage was rewound and a select frame was picked out. The image had appeared and disappeared too quickly to have been caught the first time, but now it was clear for everyone to see.  
  
A giant of light stood upon the ice, sixteen wings of iridescent light framing its form, a halo shining brilliantly over its head. Its arms were spread out to its sides with orbs reminiscent of eyes, open and staring out, entrenched in its palms. Many gasped out in shock, including Yuki and Elidia. Steiner held his head in his hands. Takumi looked away in obvious discomfort. Phillip and Azami met the image head on, as if challenging its very existence. The image brought on a fear that was by no means mundane. It was not like walking alone at night, or meeting a serial killer, or looking down from a high height. It was like being told for the very first time in your life that death was inevitable, and that you would leave no notable mark on human history no matter what efforts you exerted. This was a fear that shook the very soul itself.  
  
It seemed an eternity before Commander Minoru spoke again. "This is Adam, the progenitor of all Angels. In many ways, this being is the ultimate enemy of all mankind." Gerard grimaced uncomfortably. Darius looked away with a sudden movement, shuddering with uneasy force. Anatoly turned his vision to the table, screwing his eyes shut. Mathias' eyes darted this way and that, trying to find something else to look at. From NERV's staff, only Sachiko Minoru held her full attention on Adam. "Twenty years ago, Adam was awakened by an expedition that sought to utilize its power for their own ends. They paid the ultimate price, not only for themselves but for all of humanity. Rabbit, pull up Lilith's file."  
  
The horrific image of Adam was pulled away and a new file was pulled up. Another giant being, face like fresh snow, with a terrible mask over its face filled the screen. A large red pole, resembling a spear, was pierced through the beings chest. Somehow, beyond any rationale, all the people in the room are able to stomach this image more than the last. "This is Lilith, the second being discovered during that expedition in Antarctica. Lilith is…" The man trails off, trying to find the words to describe things that were beyond the feeble scope of humanity's comprehension. "Lilith is the creator of all mankind, as well as every animal and every creature that is not an Angel. This being is at the very root of humanity's evolutionary tree. This is our ultimate ancestor."  
  
A new image of Adam is brought up once again, much blurrier and distorted, and this image is placed beside Lilith's. The same fear from before did not return. "One thousand years ago, the documents known as the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. These scrolls detailed the history of our planet. Adam and Lilith both came to Earth to seed their brands of life upon it - Adam, the Angels; Lilith, the Lilin. These two beings fought and ultimately sealed one another away. Lilith's spilled blood flooded the world, birthing humanity and every other animal we know today. This was the First Impact."  
  
Minoru regarded the Pilots silently, emotions warring on the old man's face. "There is no other way of putting this fact. The entire world as we know it is nothing more than a coincidence, a fluke, caused by beings more powerful than us fighting one another. Twenty years ago, Adam awoke. Twenty years ago, Adam attempted to fuse with Lilith, but was too weak to succeed. Twenty years ago, Second Impact occurred." The man closed his eyes, trying to bring himself to state the conclusion. "If Adam had succeeded…"  
  
Sachiko took up her father's burden. "Adam's success means the destruction of humanity and the death of us all, resulting in a world where only Angels remain. Your mission, as Pilots of NERV, is to stop both Adam and Lilith from accomplishing their goals of destroying this coincidence of a world. Rabbit, the Angels and Lilin." A new image of various Angels appeared, silhouettes of geometric shapes to otherworldly humanoids with strange masks. "Since the Second Impact, Adam has been creating Angels to complete the process and bring about a Third Impact. What the public does not know is that Lilith has done the same." A new image accompanied the last, showing shadows of strange creatures that resembled animals and creatures that the Pilots were familiar with. "To the world, there is only the enemy known as the Angels. To NERV, this is a two front war against enemies who do not even acknowledge our meager existence. The Eva were created to prevent the joining of Angel and Lilin. Their destruction of us is only a means to an end far greater." The woman wound down from her words, having said so much more than most had ever heard from her. The commander knew he had to continue, but it is Anatoly that spoke.  
  
The young man that many of the Pilots had just met had a quiet resolve behind his eyes as he stood from his chair and addressed his fellow Pilots and co-workers. "Darius and I, we've fought them before. Angels and Lilin are both dangerous in their own ways, and they might seem similar at first, but the one thing we all have to keep in mind is that we have to destroy them. Killing them is practically an act of self-defense. In the end, there are differences between Angels and Lilin - even now NERV's science division is studying them - but the way they fight, go about their plans, make goals… everything is unique. What we do is kill them, but our ultimate agenda is nothing as simple. We must stop the destruction of humanity by the event known as the Third Impact by any means possible."  
  
The shadows of the Angels were tinted blue and the Lilin were tinted yellow, before Rabbit finally revealed them. The Lilin were clearly more comprehensible to the Pilots, looking more organic, with familiar features of animals. Many resembled beasts, while one stood upright like a human. The Angels, however, were more abstract. Some of the Angels were metallic, while others could not be strongly compared to any conventional idea, but the most striking were those with halos and wings that resembled their progenitor. The most obvious difference between the two groups was the lack of discernible ‘core’ on the Lilin, as the Angels all seemed to possess something the Pilots could label that. Elidia and Azami especially could attest to this idea. They had fought Nayaial not that long ago.  
  
Anatoly finally took his seat, coming down from the rush, and the commander addressed the Pilots as a whole once more. “This is a lot to take in at one time, I understand that. Each of us took time to adjust to these truths. Our goal here is to aid you in this adjustment, pulling aside the curtain on our operations. If you have any questions, ask them without fear of offense. The fate of the world is at stake.”  
  
Phillip spoke up first. “The Russian put it best, kill them before they kill me. Eva, on foot, I don’t care, I’ll kill them.” A scowl had set itself on his brow as he looked back at the images of Angel and Lilin.  
  
Gerard snorted from his seat. “Is that a question, kid?”  
  
“No, but it’s the only thing anyone here needs to say.” Phillip set his hands behind his head and began to ignore the rest of the proceedings.  
  
“Well, I do have a question!” Elidia shot her hand up and started to talk without being called on. “If the Angels are Lilin are fighting each other, then what’s the purpose of Tokyo-3? What makes the city and the people here a target?” Before anything else, she wanted to know why this city was being put in danger.  
  
The commander took this question easily. “A battle between Angel and Lilin would be disastrous. NERV is not in a position to take the risk of fighting both types of beings simultaneously, so we have drawn them here. The MAGI emits a signal to draw Angelic lifeforms. If they believe Lilin or Lilith are here, they will come. The people of Tokyo-3 and the life in the GeoFront multiply the signal.” Minoru closed his eyes for a poignant moment. “To ensure the Angels never meet the Lilin, we sacrifice this city, again and again. There is no victory to be gained for them. Even if we were to lose Tokyo-3, the world would still be safe.”  
  
“That’s insane!” Yuki shouted, cutting through Minoru’s commanding presence. “If you think I’m going to die for you, you’re sorely mistaken.” She looked at her fellow Pilots for support and saw it in everyone but Phillip and Azami. Yuki took that and threw it into Minoru’s face. She clenched her teeth, pointing with all her might. “I hate that you’ve built this city as a trap, that you’ve made the people unwilling live bait. It’s disgusting. However… I will fight. I will protect all these people, all of humanity. I’m no soldier, but I will be a hero. Everyone here will live.” There was only firm resolve in that girl’s eyes.  
  
Instead of a violent reprimanding, the commander just let the room descend back into silence. He met Yuki’s gaze head on before he broke away. The man exhaled, letting out a long held breath. A laugh began his next words. “The person who knows more about the situation than any other to ever live tells you you’re almost certain to die and you reject it. Denying fate, the future, and all inevitability… with nothing but your desire to survive.” The trodden corpse of a smile snuck its way to his lips. “What radiant hope.”  
  
Yuki smiled, thinking she had made her point across successfully, but the man returns once again back to the commander of NERV. “If I am wrong, and I can shake all your hands a year from now, congratulating you on saving the world, then you can tell me you were right.”  
  
Yuki just went on the offensive again. “Well then, why haven’t we just killed Adam and Lilith? If they’re the ones creating Angels and Lilin, and they’re both trying to reach the other, then wouldn’t that solve our problems?”  
  
Minoru deflected her continued attempts with ease. “Yes, if it was within the realm of possibility. Even in their dormant states, they are vastly stronger than any Angel or Lilin. If we failed to kill them, awakened them? We would only doom humanity ourselves. All we can do is wait for our technology and understanding to advance, then we might be able to slay the gods themselves.”  
  
Takumi snuck his way through the fallout of Yuki and Minoru’s sparring match, bringing up the only thing he marginally wanted to ask. “So, Minoru-dono… Why not just tell erryone ‘bout all this? Might help if we’re all on the same page…”  
  
Anatoly exchanged a glance with the commander and answered that one for him. “You remember the chaos after Second Impact? The panic, the riots, the looting… Chaos.” The young man swallowed, memories being brought back up beneath his closed eyelids. Hollowness played across his eyes when he reopened them. “That’s the risk of telling everyone.”  
  
Minoru picked things back up. “Even if I wanted to, the bureaucrats have put up enough red tape to make it impossible.” The implication was obvious. Even the commander of NERV didn’t have the power for an ask like that. He looked back to the screen, an image of an ancient-looking man with strikingly blue hair appearing with him even asking. “The founder of NERV and the first commander was this man, Samael Sturdivant. He was the one to make the decision to hide the truth, and then he vanished without a trace, leaving all this in my hands. They said revealing the truth would turn the world against us. I listened.”  
  
He shook his head, squeezing his hands into fists and baring his teeth. “Nothing is ever as simple as we make it out to be, even for - and especially for - those in power. There are things I’ve had to cover up that would have you waking up screaming every night for the rest of your lives.”  
  
Silence once more descended upon the room. For some, the harsh realization that this was truly war had reached them. Steiner held his head in his hands, sorting over the things he had learned today. The world… The world was not the same world that he knew it to be. This was all far beyond him, but… Yuki’s blind defiance ran back through his head. He raised his head back up. “Sorry… I have some more questions. That expedition team… Who went and awoke Adam and Lilith?”  
  
Minoru’s eyes were clear when they answered Steiner’s inquiry, that former rage having passed. “There was a group known as Seele. They were once part of NERV’s progenitor organization, but their goals and ideals were warped, twisted. Instead of our desire to protect humanity, they wished to advance it. To be absolutely blunt, they wished to erase the barrier that separated every living being and join us into one, singular entity. These days we call that broken dream the Human Instrumentality Project. They were the ones who went to Antarctica, awoke Adam and brought about Second Impact.” There was a new smile on the man’s face, but it was only grim. “None of them still draw breath.”  
  
Steiner nodded silently. Somehow, it was comforting that the people who caused that horrible event were gone. “The Eva then… What exactly are they? How have we been able to use them to defeat these God-like beings? And… why do Pilots need to be so young?”  
  
“Simple. The Evangelion is the continued result of these twenty years. The best and brightest of humanity worked together to create a tool capable of protecting us.” He snorted gently, shaking his head. “You already knew that, though. Anyone that’s been Synched to a real Eva knows, even if they don’t know that they know. That connection… That feeling of not being alone.” He threw a glance toward Elidia. “We did not create robots. We merely took from our enemies, learned from them, and recreated them for our own purposes. The Eva are living creatures, Lilin. They can kill the children of gods because they are the children of gods.”  
  
“That is only the beginning. The barrier between beings that Seele sought to destroy, that barrier is known as the AT Field - or Absolute Territory Field. Humanity, animals, plants; they all possess a weak AT Field, but those giants and the Eva possess incredibly powerful ones. Only a stronger soul, a stronger will, can pierce through to kill the being on the other side. However, the Evangelion possess no wills of their own. The Children and Pilots… You were all born or conceived on or after Second Impact.”  
  
Images of the red sea that now supplanted the blue oceans humanity once knew flashed onto the screen. “Adam did not fail entirely. You are, in part, Angelic lifeforms. This is why you can Pilot. This is why you can connect with the beings known as Evangelion and draw out the full power of the AT Field.”  
  
Phillip’s laugh broke the tension clean in half. It seemed he had been paying attention after all. “You’re telling me I’m special because I was born after the world ended?” His laugh was cut brutally short as he slammed his fist against the table. “You take me away from my city, stick me here, and tell me this bullshit? I’ll fight, but you all better know you’re insane. You’re all just wolves howling at the moon’s reflection.”  
  
Minoru didn’t quite care. “Insanity claimed this world long ago. Accept what you want, deny the rest. It makes no difference to me.”  
  
Phillip’s final outburst put a damper on the group’s mood, only leading to further silence. They had been called into a two-front war against unbeatable odds. Even with Yuki’s blind optimism, she felt the weight of her fellow Pilots’ mood. Never had they all faced an uphill battle with such a steep incline.  
  
But they would fight. They had to.


	3. Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pilots begin to settle into their life in Tokyo-3, to varying degrees to success.

Azami locked eyes with Elidia, fire burning deep within both their souls as they readied each other for the fight against each other. This was a battle that was more important than humanity itself. Failure would not be tolerated from either side. With both their prides on the line… they moved simultaneously.

"Play ball!" Kurumi shouted, tossing the basketball into the air in the indoor gym. Despite all her genetic selection, Elidia could not beat Azami's soldier's body in the toss up. The Neo-Spartan threw the ball back to her teammates. Anatoly grabbed the ball and rushed for the opposing net, only to be blocked by Phillip and Yuki in a coordinated attack. Yuki stole the ball from his hands as Phillip pushed the man to the side, and the two ran for the goal. Yuki passed to Phillip and he jumped up, eager to end the game and get on to something else.

His slam dunk was blocked at the crucial moment by Azami's hand, and the ball flew down court, rolling up toward Steiner's feet. He gingerly picked up the ball and looked to his teammates for guidance on what to do with it. Anatoly shouted. "Go for their net!" Azami just pointed to guide him.

Steiner steeled himself. He'd be the one to do it, he'd win! The young man took one step, and then another-

A whistle blast cut the tension, and the chrome referee's whistle fell against Kurumi Ishihara's neck. "Traveling! Sorry, Steiner, I'm going to have to penalize you."

Anatoly wiped the sweat from his forehead, smirking the whole time. "Hey, Phillip bodychecked me. That doesn't warrant a penalty?" Phillip gave Knat a challenging smile in response. Knat met it head on without a care in the world.

"I didn't see it," Kurumi said, "but I'll be watching you, Phillip. Anyway! Elidia's team gets the throw, so find a corner!"

Yuki picked up the ball and threw it toward Elidia from the corner of the court. The game only continued…

"Hey, Prez," came Takumi's voice, talking to her from the nearby bleachers. "You're really in'a this. Sensei Creeper didn't rope you in'a anythin', right?"

Instead of Kurumi answering, a man wiggled himself out from under the bleachers. "Of course not!" he said from under the paper bag that was upon his face. On this paper bag was a crudely drawn expression of joy. "The class president is simply an eager student like all the others! Look at them all playing together and getting along!" The man stood on one foot like a ballet dancer, doves flying out from behind him as a heavenly choir began to play.

Kurumi looked back at the man as Phillip bodychecked Steiner into the wall, knocking him unconscious. "We're only doing this because NERV said we should try a team building exercise, and they also haven't done any physical activity since they started school." Her gaze is aimed right at the teacher like a bullet. "And who's fault is that, Sensei?"

The teacher took out a marker and drew an extremely sad face on the paper bag, one filled with immense despair. "Class president, you've shamed this lazy teacher with the whole of your heart! I am truly sorry for my actions!" He clasped her hand, bowing and crying hysterically. "You can be the teacher now! Takumi, quickly! You can be my second as I commit seppuku!"

Takumi didn't respond very much as he scratched the back of his head lazily. "Sensei… You're disturbing Prez."

The teacher turned away, anime tears sparkling in his eyes as he retreated back under the bleachers. "I know when I'm not wanted. Have fun, my two love bir-"

Kurumi kicked him back into the bleachers and coughed into her hands. "You were saying, Takumi?"

The boy wasn't sure how to put all the words together and he closed his eyes, letting his head hit the seat several steps above him. "Iunno. This school thing's always been so natural fer you. You're a model student, ya know that, Prez? Me, I'm… what was imouto-chan saying… I'm jus' a delinquent."

Takumi opened his eyes to see Kurumi tugging on his cheek. "No you're not. I've heard some things about your antics…" Oh, goodness, had she heard things. "But anyone in this class is a student and my friend." She let go of his cheek and wagged her finger at him playfully. "Got that, Taku?"

Takumi gave her a wide grin. "'Course, Prez! You're the boss, always knowin' what ta say!" Anything to stop her from thinking about his delinquent antics!

Ding dong… Bing bong… The school chime went off, signalling the start of the lunch period throughout the school. Clearly the game was at an end.

Yuki and Elidia jumped up, high fiving each other in midair. "All right! Team Yulidia wins the match!"

Anatoly called over to Kurumi to confirm. "Hey, class president! What's the score?"

Kurumi opened her mouth to speak, but then silently closed it without saying anything, only to respond with a shrug. "I don't quite remember. I'm sure it was Yuki's team though."

Steiner was the most dejected at this response. "Sorry, Anatoly, Azami. I made us lose."

"It's fine," Azami said, wiping at her face with a towel. "It was an exercise in team coordination. It is the team's job to lift up those who struggle."

"Azami's right," Anatoly continued with a nod. "We just have to keep practicing and we'll all get stronger."

Yuki jumped up through her fellow Pilots into the conversation. "Yeah! We'll just have to celebrate this victory as a group! Come on, Steiner! Let's go eat!"

The reassurances and offers from the group only made the boy look more and more miserable. "No, no. It's okay. I have something I need to do now. I'll see you all later." Without another word, he left the group in silence. The mood had been dropped down considerably.

But Yuki wouldn't let that happen for long. "That's okay! Eli, Knat, to the classroom! Let's go! Will the rest of you be joining us?"

"I made a prior arrangement with the class president and Takumi," Azami said simply. Her gaze crossed Elidia's but neither made a comment in the open. "I appreciate the offer nonetheless."

Elidia laid a hand on Yuki's shoulder to direct her to leave. "Come on, Yuki. Let's go." Neither Yuki nor Anatoly understood what was happening, but they both agreed to leave, giving their simple goodbyes to the rest of their comrades.

Phillip didn't say anything to anyone as he left, escaping Kurumi's last ditch effort to call out to him before she was able to get the words out of her mouth. "Him and Steiner…" she said to the two that remained. "They're definitely going to need some work to get them with everyone."

Takumi shrugged his shoulders as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Don't worry 'bout it, Prez." He hopped up. "Things like that, they clear themselves up in the end, eh? Ain't your fault."

"Yes, but…" She clenched one of her fists against her chest in determination. "As the class representative and student council president, it's my job to make sure there are no problems with the student body."

"Even so, Ishihara-san," Azami said, tugging on both ends of her towel as it hung over her neck. "There is nothing you can do if they do not want your help. That is the nature of such things."

Kurumi could only sigh at the words of her friends. "You're right. I'll just have to wait for my opportunity." She clenched her fists in front of her, nodding. "Okay! Now, let's eat! I made an extra special lunch for us all!"

Takumi and Azami shared a look of mutual dread.

* * *

In the student council office, Kurumi stood at the head of the table, with both Azami and Takumi sitting to her sides. With a magnificent flourish, she unveiled three boxed lunches, one for each of them. Her two friends steeled themselves, reaching forward with trepidation to open those sealed containers. Inside was something that could only be described as a weapon of mass destruction. Noxious fumes wafted out from that meal in droves, revealing a bubbling concoction beneath. Takumi reached out with his chopsticks with fear, pulling out a piece of something that was glowing red. "Eh… Prez… Whaddya make this time?"

"It's my famous katsudon pork cutlet rice dish!" she said as she lifted her own bento box and began shoveling the food into her mouth with reckless abandon. Takumi and Azami's eyes met and they spoke a wordless conversation.

So, Takumi said, the dark hour is upon us once more. Will you fight? Or will you be thrown to the wolves?

Hmph, came Azami's reply. You are a fool to think I would bow down from a mere challenge like this. The one you love has offered you her homemade cooking and you cower?

Cower? I will fight. I will not back down. I'll show you, Azami Sicarius. I'll show you the power of my love!

Or… well… Wouldn't it be interesting if that's what they had been saying?

Simultaneously, the two friends lifted up their bento boxes and proceeded to shovel food with their chopsticks just like the class president. In a matter of seconds they had downed the entire meal into their stomachs. A moment later, their stares once again met. The two rushed out of the student council office, faces drenched in sweat. Kurumi just smiled. Obviously, her friends had gotten a ton of energy from her cooking. Nothing weird about that~

"Water…" Azami mumbled as she stumbled down the hallway. "There has to be… water somewhere…"

"Aza-chan… Mizu ain't enough. We gotta get some milk… milk..." The two tumbled down the stairs, falling in front of the young man named Phillip as they hit the deck.

He looked down at them, with their beet red faces, skin and hair drenched in sweat. In his hand was a small carton of the current liquid of the gods… Milk… They looked at it like their lives depended on them getting just the tiniest drop. Phillip looked at the carton in his hand and tossed it to the floor in front of them, walking away as they fought over the last drops of an oasis.

Phillip pushed open the door of the school and stepped out into the cold November air. This was going to be his life from now on, unfortunately, in this waste of time school with people he hadn't the slightest bit of respect for. He wrapped his scarf tightly around his face and shoved his hands into his pockets before trudging through the snow. It was still noon, but there was nothing saying he had to stay in school. There was the implicit threat from the gang he knew as NERV but… He didn’t care.

Phillip looked up to eye the security camera above the gate as he pushed it open. A sudden gasp sounded from somewhere beyond the gate and Phillip looked down to see a girl looking at him. She was obviously Japanese, with light brown hair that framed her features in a rough box. “A-ah? Are you one of the students here?”

“Hmph…” Phillip didn’t bother with a real response. Disinterest clouded his features in a haze. “Sure, sure. Who are you?”

The girl fumbled, obviously constructing a lie beneath her timid gaze. “Well, ah… I’m a new student, and I’m transferring in today!” Her eyes watched him from beneath her bangs, hoping that the lie caught.

There was no way that anyone could fool Phillip Mhaol with a lie that shoddy. “I don’t believe you in the slightest, girl, but I’ll ignore your lies if you tell me who you are; who you really are.”

The girl sighed, nodding gently to herself. “My name- my name is Michiko Sumeragi…”

Phillip’s brow furrowed the slightest bit. Michiko… Sumeragi… Where had he heard that before? “Hey, Michiko… You busy now?”

* * *

“Kanpai!” the three said, lifting their plastic sports drink containers together before chugging them down. Yuki, Elidia and Anatoly had their desks pushed together in the classroom, lunchboxes opened up on the makeshift table.

“Here’s to a new school life as heroes!” Yuki said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “It’s only a matter of time, right, Knat? Then we’ll be called out into action!” She pressed her fists together in some sort of action pose. “Yuki Minase, Luminary of the Stars, is ready for duty!”

Anatoly nodded simply, letting the excitement wash over him. He couldn’t help but feel it too, even though it had been so long. “That’s right, though I’m sure the rest of NERV’s staff might have things for you all to do before then. Elidia and Azami have already underwent their own Synchronization tests, but the rest of you still have yours to do.”

“Well, I don’t have to worry about that, right, Eli?”

“Of course! I can’t imagine that Horizon would suddenly drop the ball with Unit Zero… They’ve already put in so much money already, plus you’ve already done some tests, right?”

“That’s right. Everything’s going to go well for us, that’s for sure. The three of us have all got everything under control.”

Elidia’s mouth formed a smooth line. “Yes… The three of us and that other girl…”

Before any of them could get into it, Anatoly’s phone went off loudly and he scrambled to retrieve it from his pocket. “Gerard… I swear, did you turn my ringtone all the way up again…” He put the device up to his ear and scrambled to leave the room in a rush, as if it might be an important call. It was hard to tell with Gerard…

Yuki tapped the side of her cheek. Should she continue the line of conversation that Elidia had brought up? If one of their fellow Pilots was making Eli uncomfortable, then shouldn't it be Yuki's job to explore and correct those instances? "Eli… What's going on?"

The look on Elidia's face turned to a sort of irrational anger, contorted with an unknown fear. Yuki couldn't quite comprehend what could cause the girl to react like this so suddenly. Elidia spoke nonetheless. "Our programs clashed against each other for years." Venom seeped through her words. "I know she's holding a grudge against me, but none of the others do…" She turned to look at Yuki. "That- she- Azami tried to kill me. She tried to detonate a fake Angel core next to my Eva and kill me!"

Yuki took these accusations with utmost seriousness. "Then we have to report it. She can't be allowed to do things like that...."

Elidia breathed out through clenched teeth. "None of them saw it that way, but I know. I know this is the truth."

Yuki set a hand against her mouth in thought. If Elidia couldn't do it then… "All right, then I'll persuade the others to take you seriously." There was no way Elidia was lying, Yuki could see it in her eyes. "If I leverage Horizon's funding, I should be able to force them to listen to you…" She didn't want to have to pull a stunt like that, but if it made them take Elidia seriously... That was just the reasonable thing to do. "After class, we'll go to NERV and talk to them."

Elidia was still troubled. "I… I don't know. Maybe it'll just cause more problems." She really hoped Yuki wouldn't actually bring up Horizon.

Yuki laid a hand on Elidia's shoulder. "It's okay, Eli. You have my full support."

* * *

Steiner typed away at the laptop in front of him, lines of text spinning along a command prompt as he fed lines into the MAGI supercomputer. The advanced nature of the computer, he quickly discovered, was its weakness. By sending small amounts of data through its multitude of datapoints, Steiner was able to build something on the other side with the most basic of user privileges. To anyone who had even the most low level understanding of computers, this would be the work of a complete genius, but even so, Steiner would never see it that way.

However, there was someone on the other side of the MAGI.

Steiner had welcomed White Rabbit’s presence without much of a thought. Despite being an artificial intelligence, Steiner could only see that little girl as nothing more than that. A child was still a child, even with access to the entirety of the power that the MAGI contained. So it was that Steiner and White Rabbit began a sparring match, playing against each other by using the MAGI as a chessboard. Despite the extreme danger if discovered by anyone else, neither seemed to be particularly on edge as they sent commands and packets at each other like slings and arrows.

“Are you worried, Steiner?” White Rabbit asked without provocation. “I know being a Pilot can be scary, but there’s no reason to fear.”

“I’m not scared,” he said simply. “I just shouldn’t be here. What NERV needed was fighters, not me.”

“That’s not right at all! What NERV needed was heroes! A hero can come in any shape and form. A survivor like Phillip, Knat and Takumi, a soldier like Azami, an idol like Yuki, a clone like Elidia, and even a genius like you, Steiner!”

“A genius…” No matter how many times Rabbit said something like that, it didn’t make it true in Steiner’s eyes. “Then Mathias should be a Pilot.”

“His Synchronization Ratio isn’t high enough! In fact he once-” She closed her hands over her virtual mouth. “Ah… I’m not supposed to talk about that one…”

“You… aren’t supposed to talk about what?” Steiner asked slowly. He didn’t know if he was intrigued or not. Maybe it was to keep the conversation going.

Rabbit seemed to forget that she wasn’t supposed to discuss it immediately. “Oh yeah! Mathias tried to Synchronize with Sleipnir but it pushed him out! It really made the doctor sad. Maybe because it really hurt him? It took him awhile to recover from it… but he never showed his symptoms to Elidia!”

“That’s…” Steiner stopped typing for a moment and in an instant he was locked out of the MAGI by Rabbit’s cyberattack. “Even Doctor Lishka is a hero.”

“Ah, that’s not what I meant! You’re brave too, Steiner!”

Steiner stood up from his seat in the empty classroom and looked out into the snow covered courtyard. How could he stand with all these people who were brave and special? He felt the cold when his hands touched the window sill, his fingers tightening against the wood. Heroes were otherworldly beings, people who were the best of the best. They struggled for their dreams… Steiner hadn’t done anything. Maybe he was a genius, but what did that matter? Being intelligent didn’t make him a hero.

Silently, a spider crawled down the window and onto Steiner’s hand. The boy didn’t react.

* * *

In one of the school’s hallways, Phillip handed Michiko a can of milk tea. “So, this Ai-Ro-N… What exactly is it?”

“Oh!” Michiko took the can and popped it open with a hiss. “We’re a three person pop group with a heavy metal styling. There’s three members: Yuki, Sahar, and me.” She took a quick sip of the canned tea, before continuing to talk. “There’s a concert coming up and we’ve all been practicing super hard, but Yuki hasn’t had time since… Well, she became a Pilot.” Her voice grew more quiet as the words tumbled out, worry clouding originally happy features. “If you’re at this school, then you must know Yuki, right?”

“I guess,” he says, not committing to any strategy to handling her. “Why do you wanna see her anyway?”

“I’m worried,” Michiko said with immense sincerity. “I know she has all this weight on her shoulders now, so I have to support her all the way. Sometimes supporting people means telling them things they don’t want to hear, like putting in more time to practice.” She looked up at Phillip with pleading eyes. “So please, take me to her.”

Phillip shrugged. “Sure, whatever, but I want a favor.” This was how it worked in Ireland. Not a single thing was given freely.

“W-what kind of favor?” Michiko seemed very suddenly frightful of whatever devious things she had heard boys wanted, things based on nothing but perception and societal expectations.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll call it when I want it.”

“F-fine… I’ll accept your terms.” She held out her hand, setting the can beside herself. “Phillip, I accept!”

Phillip looked at her hand and then gingerly took it, only for Michiko to suddenly wrap her arms around him and hug him tightly. He nearly punched her on pure instinct, but somehow he managed to suppress that sudden firing in his brain. Heat flashed over his features an instant later. Sheesh, a girl really had to hug him...

* * *

Takumi fiddled with a television on the student council room’s table. “I got ‘is from one’a the other students ‘ere… A generous donation, I call it!” He laughed quietly as Azami watched intently. Kurumi wasn’t paying as much attention, going over some printed pages for the class.

He plugged in a series of cables from a wireless box and an image appeared on the previously dead screen. A woman sat at a news desk as images flashed in the corner of the screen in a slow sequence. “- following the scandal with the Neo-Spartan program, several high-ranking officials within NERV’s power structure have been fired, though NERV has refused to comment on the specifics, calling it a ‘regular restructuring.’”

Azami held her hand over her mouth, gaze narrowing the smallest bit. Takumi scratched his head as he took notice of the broadcast. “‘Ey, that’s you, isn’t it, Aza-chan?” He took a long time to sound out the syllables as he pronounced his next words. “Neo-Spartan program… You’re one’a those, ne?”

She gave a singular firm nod. “Yes, I was trained at NERV’s fourth branch from the age of six.”

Kurumi looked up, quite stunned that Azami was talking about herself in any capacity. Maybe, Kurumi thought, maybe she should push on the matter. She wanted to be friends with Azami, and friends needed to trust each other. So, she’d just have to prove that Azami could trust her. “What was it like?”

Azami’s eyes were glued to the television, and she took some time to respond as the newscaster continued her own speech. New images flashed behind the reporter, of the six new Pilots that did not include Anatoly. “Six new Pilots arrived in Tokyo-3 earlier this week as part of NERV's scouting initiative. Yuki Minase of GEM247 is among them. Horizon Media, our parent company, has made a statement regarding this decision claiming that there is minimal risk to the idol’s safety due to the efforts of NERV’s highly skilled staff."

Azami closed her eyes, hands in a gentle fist over her mouth. "My friends at NERV Fourth Branch… they will always be dear to my heart." She opened her eyes with a great deal of care and regarded the two others in the room with a look that was not a glare. "I am still grateful that you've offered me your kindness."

"It's nothing!" Kurumi said. "That's what friends are for." For Kurumi, it was more than enough to see Azami speak kind words without the usual intensity in her eyes. They really were making headway.

Takumi looked at the happy look on Kurumi's face and smiled. That was all he needed to know.

* * *

“Michiko!?” Yuki stood up from her seat, Knat and Elidia looking up in surprise.

“Yuki!” The two girls ran up to each other and embraced tightly, like lovers who had been apart for years.

“What are you doing here?” Yuki asked in an excited tone. “How’d you even find me?”

“Oh…” Michiko parted from Yuki, still holding hands with the other girl. She looked over her shoulder, not seeing Phillip standing in the doorway like she had expected. Where had he gone? “A boy named Phillip showed me. Do you know him?”

Elidia laughed in the background. “That guy? He must have had a sudden change of heart seeing a pretty girl!”

Anatoly snorted. “Come on… He’s not that bad… right?”

Elidia glossed over his comment entirely. “Anyway, who’s your friend, Yuki? Oh, oh, you said Michiko, right? Is she from Ai-Ro-N?”

Yuki looked to Michiko with a sly smile and she returned the look with the exact same intensity. They raised their hands at the same time and then linked their closest arms together, bringing their free hands over their eyes in peace signs. “We’re the two idol pop sensations from GEM247 and Ai-Ro-N! With our music, we’re the shining star that will unite the nation under our banner! Yuki! Michiko! Fight-o!”

Anatoly immediately began to clap, with Elidia following right after. “Man…” Anatoly said, “you guys must be really good friends.”

“Of course,” Michiko replied, suddenly embarrassed and quieter from her and Yuki’s introduction. “That’s why I wanted to come… You haven’t had any trouble, right, Yuki?” She turned to her friend, sincere concern on her face. “Everyone’s treated you with kindness, right?”

“Everyone here’s my friend too, Michiko,” Yuki said. “We’re all Pilots together. That’s how we’re gonna save the world.” Yuki stood between Knat and Eli at the table and Michiko, hands firmly on her hips with the most confident smile she could muster. Michiko agreed as Yuki’s vast braveness and hope filled her own heart. They really were going to be heroes.

The school bell began to ring once more, signalling to Michiko that she had to leave her friend, but before she could say her goodbyes, Yuki was the one to speak. “You don’t have to worry, Michiko. Everyone is here to support me.” Yes, Michiko knew. These were the ones who could be entrusted with Yuki’s safety.

* * *

School began to wind down as the Paper Bag Teacher finished his lecture on the Second Impact. The class found these particular lectures to be the one where their teacher put his whole heart into it, describing the devastation and despair as vividly as the hope and bravery of the survivors. When that man stood behind the lecturn, speaking of how people grieved and lost loved ones, yet banded together to survive… one could forget that the man wore a paper bag on his head. If there was a list of things that the Pilots unanimously agreed upon, their love for their teacher would be on that list. Even if he was bumbling and left Kurumi to help manage much of their other subjects, there was something about him that they couldn’t ignore. Anyone who wasn’t there would be unlikely to grasp those feelings… yet there those feelings were.

The school bell rang and the students who cared stood, bowed, and began to collect their things. Takumi and Kurumi left in a rush with Azami bidding the two lovebirds farewell before departing herself. Anatoly received another call from Gerard and told the two that he had to go, but Yuki had different plans.

“Say, Knat, before you go... How hard would it be to get an audience with Commander Minoru?”

He let out a breath in response, clicking his tongue. “Near impossible, I’d say. He’s a really busy man. Why?”

Yuki decided to lay out her plan then and there, giving Elidia a solid nod to display her intentions. “Azami nearly hurt Elidia during their Evangelion tests, and I want them to know that that’s not something they can allow.”

Elidia didn’t say anything. She was firmly on Yuki’s side, but she didn’t know the exact way that Yuki planned to attack. She had to hear it from Yuki too. Knat crossed his arms as he took a seat on one of the empty desks and began to think. “I’m surprised that you didn’t go right to Azami herself…”

“Eli already tried that and Azami gave her a bad response. We have to try a different strategy, so we should go to someone in charge.” Yuki nodded to herself to reaffirm her decision. It wasn’t exactly an unsound plan.

Knat shrugged. He might as well help them. Team conflict wasn’t in anyone’s best interest. “I think you’d have better luck with the vice-commander, Sachiko. You two want to come with me and Gerard to NERV?”

That was perfect. “Yes, let’s go! Eli!”

“Yes…” She had to reaffirm herself and her trust in her friend. If Elidia could trust anyone other than Mathias, it was Yuki. “Yes, let’s go.” The three went together, leaving the school as a group before Gerard’s limousine arrived and picked all of them up. As they sped down the road, they all saw Takumi and Kurumi walking down the street and Yuki leaned out the window to wave.

“Don’t get into too much trouble!” she shouted as they disappeared into the distance.

“‘Course, ‘course, imouto-san!” Takumi shouted back as he and Kurumi waved in return.

“I’m not your little sisterrrr!!!!” Her shout was lost in the winter wind, consumed by the weather.

Takumi laughed heartily, Kurumi laughing quietly from beneath her scarf. The two continued along, eager to reach their destination. It had been a long time coming, but today was a very special date. Of course, both of them denied any mention that it was a date, but the two of them were brimming with excitement at finally being able to designate a time to be together.

“‘So, Prez…” he said as he switched to the language he had any real proficiency in. “This place has the best cake in town. You’re gonna love it, I guarantee it!” Takumi left out the part where he had ran across downtown trying to find the perfect place to take Kurumi. An entire day had been spent for that purpose, as he certainly didn’t know how to use the internet. If he had met Azami before that scouting job, he certainly would have asked her for help but… Yeah, it had just been him and the president for awhile.

Kurumi’s thoughts seemed to be in a similar place. “Oh, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, Taku. You’ve always been very thoughtful.” The young man couldn’t help but blush and smile in response. “Maybe another time we should take Azami. I don’t think she’s had much time to see Tokyo-3.” The unsaid thing was that Azami had not had time to live, but Kurumi wouldn’t say something so blatantly depressing.

“Aza-chan’s a tough one, so she might think something like that’s just outta common courtesy…” He held a hand against his mouth in thought before raising a finger into the air. “All right. After this, I’ll plan a huge outing for Aza-chan! We gotta welcome her to Tokyo-3 with a bang!”

“I’ll be waiting eagerly then,” Kurumi said with a smile.

However, something came to shatter that happiness. A ringtone began to play, and Takumi reached into his pocket to answer the call. “Moshimoshi?” A hardened look replaced Takumi’s previously goofy features and he set the phone back into his pocket before turning to look at Kurumi. “Prez… I’m really sorry…” He bowed deeply, pressing his hands together in front of himself like he was begging… which he was.

“Eh? What for?”

“I have to…” He felt a distinct pain in his chest. “I have to go. Something really important’s come up. I…” There was no way for him to explain why he had to. Takumi simply had to abandon Kurumi this once. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Kurumi didn’t understand, but she nodded her head nonetheless. “It’s okay, Taku. I understand. You wouldn’t cancel unless it was really urgent.” She knew Takumi better than anyone, and she knew what she had said to be true. His face was distinctly serious, something she hadn’t seen in a very long time. He bowed to her again and left in a hurry, running across the street and into a nearby alley. “Don’t get into trouble…” she said quietly and began to walk, alone this time.

* * *

A massive group of people had gathered outside NERV's main entrance to the GeoFront. Elidia immediately recognized who they were as they held signs and banners, shouting and screaming their declarations. The Coalition for Responsible Genomics… It seemed not even the winter put a damper on their protests. At their forefront was one of their leaders, rallying them into one of their chants. As Gerard’s car pulled closer, the crowd seemed to notice their arrival, turning to direct their aggressions onto them in particular. “That’s one of them now! The children taken and groomed by NERV to become their soldiers and kill the innocent with their hulking weapons of mass destruction!” Mostly harmless objects bounced off the windshield as Gerard tried to pull in with as little chaos as possible.

Yuki had heard that the Coalition was focused mostly on Elidia’s program, but hearing their shouts only shifted her concern from empathy to a mentality of group unity. If they were targeting the Pilots as a whole then it would be easier to rally more people on their side. Such things were easy to believe for the young girl. Political matters were simply a matter of logistics to her. Who had more people would obviously win.

Gerard’s limo cleared the NERV barricade and he stopped just as he passed to roll down the window. “Hey, Jimmy, how’s things topside?”

The tactical officer stepped toward them, a suitably lethal looking submachine gun in one of his hands with the rest of its weight supported by its strap. “Shit, as usual. These bastards are here every day.” Normally, Yuki might wonder why exactly there was an entrenched military checkpoint right beside protestors armed with little more than garbage, but they were right outside the entrance to the GeoFront and NERV. She guessed it did make a little sense to have such high security…

Gerard nodded to Jimmy. “You see him?” Jimmy and Knat both seemed to know who Gerard was referring to by such a nonspecific statement if their looks were any indication.

“No, but rumours seem to suggest the big man himself is going to show up tomorrow.” He tried to peer into the back of the limo, but had little luck seeing everything with all his tactical gear. “Phillip with you lot?”

“Nah, but I’m sure Section-2’s keeping an eye on him. You don’t have to worry.” Gerard gave the other man a knowing smirk, but Jimmy just brushed it off.

“As if I’d be worried about him. I’m worried that he’s going to start shit with someone and get us all in trouble.” He sighed lightly, more performance than an actual reaction. “Just get in here before your presence riles the mob.”

Gerard laughed playfully as Jimmy waved them in, the gate opening and closing behind them. As they were officially within NERV’s territory, the three Pilots piled out of the car and into the main elevator. Gerard stepped in last, pushing the button to descend once more toward the GeoFront.

“So…” Knat looked to the other three in the elevator with him. “What’s the strategy, Yuki?”

“It’s simple, of course. We give Sachiko our side of the story and implore her to consider immediate action! That’s how political action works, so that’s how we’ll do it here! Following the rules is the best way, after all!”

“Simple enough.” Knat looked to Elidia, who seemed to be considering Yuki’s words carefully. “Is that all right with you, Elidia?”

“Yes, I don’t see why not…” She wasn’t paying full attention to Knat’s words. NERV had always favoured the Neo-Spartan program, so Elidia began to see less and less of a point to doing anything as they traveled further and further along the path. Sachiko was likely similar to the rest of NERV and nothing would happen.

Yuki capitalized on this, grabbing Elidia’s hand with two of her own. “It’s okay. I know this will work, and if Sachiko doesn’t do anything immediately, I’ll just come back tomorrow! Again and again, until something happens!”

Elidia didn’t know if hassling Sachiko was a good idea either, but Yuki’s sheer eagerness to help her was the thing to shine through. She didn’t ask anything of Elidia and wanted to help her for the sole reason of helping her. Elidia had to believe in someone like that. “All right! Let’s do it!”

* * *

Like all organizations with enough wealth, NERV had an impressive gym with a wide array of sports and exercise equipment. Today, it seemed one of the Pilots had decided to grace it with their presence. A middle aged man stood on the other side of the weight room’s glass, smoking a cigarette in a place he wasn’t supposed to be. His younger partner sat beside him, hands behind his head. “Better than having to run around town again, eh, Shika?”

Shikame snorted. “Better than having to chase that damn Irishman, maybe.” He took in a lung full of smoke and let his hand fall to his hip. “All we’re doing is watching her. It’s boring and it’s not like the damn child soldier needs our surveillance. Girl would probably lick Minoru’s boot if he asked.”

Azami was doing crunches while hanging off a pull up bar, completely focused on her task. Some of the other people in the weight room were also watching and gossiping just like Shikame and his partner, Nolan, but Azami paid them no heed. She looked just like a professional athlete getting ready for a major event, which was not too far from the mark, except she had no way of telling when that event would happen.

“I don’t see it,” Nolan said. “She’s just like the rest of them, right?”

“Those Neo-Spartans are just soldiers for NERV’s purposes. You ever see any of the others down here working out? You want to know why?” He pointed his cigarette at Nolan. “They don’t know how to kill something unless it’s in the Eva.” Shikame jerked his thumb back at the window. “They can.”

Nolan brushed him off, amused. “What? Is she an assassin too?”

“If NERV wanted, sure. All they’d need to do is tell her, and the inbuilt conditioning they gave her would force her to do it. Easier to get Section-2 to assassinate someone, though.” He snuffed out his cigarette on the edge of a trashcan and pushed off from the wall. “If I fought her, she wouldn’t even be able to fight back.”

“Sure, sure. You wanna prove that, Shika? Or are you scared of getting beat up by a teenager?” He stood up from his chair, arms crossed over his chest. “How about a bet?”

“Sure, sure!” He slapped the younger officer on the back, pulling him along. “If I win, you actually pay your tab for once!” That was just a cherry on top. What Nolan needed was a lesson in how NERV really worked.

As they walked in, Azami was sitting on a bench, drinking from a metal water bottle emblazoned with NERV’s logo. She was the first to speak as Shikame approached her. “Do you require something, officer?”

His demeanor shifted as soon as he began talking with the Neo-Spartan, rude and unfiltered. “Volpe wants me to spar with you. Get up, we’re going.”

Azami had no complaints and followed the two to a room with a safety mat for sparring. Nolan stood off to the side, smirking to himself as Azami stood ready immediately and Shikame took a long, long time to ready himself. He took off his jacket, revealing the white tank top beneath and his aging body. If Shikame had any advantage, it would be his superior stature as a man more than twice Azami’s age, but Nolan had a knowing smile on his face.

Shikame stretched out his arms and Azami sized him up silently, speaking once he looked ready. “What style will this be under?”

He shrugged her off. “I don’t care, just come at me. Just remember I’m a NERV officer.” There would be no way he’d lose. All he’d have to do is overpower her, since there was no way she’d actually hurt him.

Nolan called out from the sidelines. “He wants you to give it to him!”

“All right then…” Azami slid her left leg behind herself, positioning her left hand under her sternum and raising her right arm vertically in front of her. So she wanted to show off, huh? It wouldn’t help her. NERV officers were trained in basic hand to hand combat, so this would be just another day at the office.

Shikame raised his arms in front of his body like a boxer and moved in, feinting with a forward punch before moving in with the other arm, trying to push past her guard with a solid strike to the back of the head. His fist scraped against her forearm and she pushed his punch harmlessly to the side. With Shikame overextended, she hooked her foot behind his and tripped him onto one knee before stepping away. “I assure you, Officer Shikame, you don’t have to test me on the basics.”

The man pushed himself up, stepping away from her to reassess the situation. Sure, she was well trained, but that didn’t mean anything in the end. He raised his arms again and made a slight step forward to hide his long stride toward her, his fist coming straight for her chest.

She caught his wrist with her lower hand, and slammed her right elbow into his stomach with immense force. Surprise contorted his features as she shifted martial arts entirely, moving into his guard with a twist before throwing him over her shoulder and onto the mat. Shikame coughed out as he made contact with a loud thud, instantly grasping at his body as the pain set in.

“My apologies,” Azami said as she began to kneel down beside him. “I didn’t think I would injure someone of your skill level.”

“God,” he coughed out as he swatted her away. “What the hell was that? Nolan, help me, dammit.” The young man helped him up slowly and gently, setting him on the bench to the side. “I’m going to have to go see that doctor, aren’t I…”

Azami’s expression didn’t change, but she did move to explain. “That was a simple bajiquan elbow strike followed by a judo throw. As a Neo-Spartan, we were taught martial arts so we could defend both ourselves and others without a weapon.”

“Then actually use it to save someone.” He covered his mouth with his fist as he coughed into it violently. “If you’re really the heroes humanity needs, you have to damn well prove it. Jesus...”

“Hey, come on. You basically asked for it,” Nolan said, patting him gently on the back.

“Asked for it? She threw me over her shoulder!” He resumed his coughing.

A troubled expression set itself on Azami’s face as she considered Shikame’s words. Her eyes closed and she nodded to herself before she took her water bottle and left.

* * *

Sachiko Minoru sat in her darkened room, her fingers against her temple as the ever present visor is once again set upon her eyes. Save for the woman herself, the room was mostly barren, devoid of personality safe for a few small trinkets and details. A single glass table was laid in the center of the room, beside it an uncomfortable looking couch that the woman herself sat upon. A red book rested in the exact center of the table, bound in faded leather with no title on the face or spine.

She heard them approach, and waited silently. Anatoly had messaged her in secret, likely thumbing the keys without looking at them if the grammatical and spelling errors were any indication. Sachiko saw no reason to deny them their meeting with her, but she had some sort of plan for after the meeting as she took a white cardboard box from beside her and set it perfectly on the glass table. Her fingers delicately picked up the nameless book and she placed it on a side table just as perfectly.

On cue, Yuki’s knocks tapped against the door. “Hello! Sachiko? It’s Yuki Minase!”

“The door is unlocked,” Sachiko said, and in came Yuki and Elidia. It seemed that Gerard and Anatoly had departed somewhere along the way.

Sachiko set a hand against her chin to indicate she was listening as Yuki began to speak. “Sachiko-san, we came to talk about something very important. Are you busy right now?” While she did ask, it was clear that Yuki was doing it only out of politeness. Sachiko would be engaging in this whether she wanted to or not.

“Feel free to take a seat, both of you.” She gestured to the space beside her, angling herself slightly to be facing them should they decide to do so. Yuki and Elidia shared a look and Yuki nodded to the more unsure Elidia. Quickly, the two of them sat near Sachiko.

Yuki steeled herself and began. “Sachiko-san, we have concerns about one of our fellow Pilots, specifically Azami. We both think she tried to endanger Elidia during the Synchronization test they did.”

Sachiko shifted her head slightly toward Elidia. “As you were present, please elaborate for us all.”

Elidia quickly recounted the situation in which she had found herself with Azami, and the near deadly situation they had found themselves in. Sachiko seemed to pay close attention from what Elidia and Yuki could ascertain, and finally gave a short nod. “You found Azami’s behaviour to be odd after your plugs were ejected, correct?”

“Yes, very. I couldn’t understand what she was talking about. Dying to protect me…? Why would she say that when she nearly killed me?” The Neo-Spartan program had been designed to make protectors for humanity, just like the Manufactured program. It didn’t make sense to Elidia that Azami would speak about throwing her own life away.

“It’s only natural she would speak like that given how she was raised.” Her words were completely matter of fact. “What do you know about the Manufactured and Neo-Spartan programs?”

Yuki sat on the sidelines for the conversation, letting Elidia speak. For Elidia, it took only a short moment for her to lay out her thoughts. “The differences are almost negligible… I was born to be a Pilot, and the Neo-Spartans were handpicked and raised to be Pilots. We were both trained to fight the Angels and the Lilin.”

Sachiko seemed to pick her words extremely carefully, navigating the minefield in front of her deftly. “I agree with nearly everything you have said. The candidacy programs for Pilots were all designed to find the most compatible and skilled people to fight. There is only one key difference I will bring to your attention: the Manufactured program created Pilots to live for humanity, and the Neo-Spartan program created Pilots to die for humanity. This is the core difference between your two programs.”

Elidia grimaced slightly. “Even if that’s the case, that doesn’t explain why she would try to hurt me. If she thinks she’s disposable, then why did she do that?”

Yuki jumped in to support her. “Exactly. Azami’s actions still aren’t explained knowing all that!”

Sachiko tapped the side of her visor and was quiet for a short moment. “Elidia, tell me what it is that she told you when you approached her.”

“Well, she said she didn’t mean to. She miscalculated or something…”

“And you did not believe her because she was glaring at you, correct?”

“She had been glaring at me the entire time we were there!” Elidia remembered those cold eyes distinctly, boring a hole in her very soul. “All of it adds up to her trying to kill me. I know that’s what she was thinking. Azami Sicarius doesn’t trust me or like me. She wants me gone.” Why couldn’t Sachiko understand this simple fact? Were her hands tied because of all the politics behind the Neo-Spartan program? There had to be something someone could do!

Sachiko’s silence was deafening. It seemed almost like she had decided to ignore the two entirely, resigning them to their fates, but just when Yuki was about to interject again, she spoke once more. “I will speak with Azami first, and if nothing comes of it I will bring this up to the commander. You have my word.”

Elidia’s heart sank. All going to Azami would accomplish was a delay, and Yuki had been so adamant that this would be over immediately. Even so, Sachiko had actually listened, despite everything she had said to Elidia. She supposed this was something she could accept.

“Wait,” Yuki said. “Why can’t you go to Commander Minoru first? Haven’t we made our case well enough?”

“It would be unwise to go to the commander without exploring other avenues first. He is a very busy man, and is therefore a last resort measure.” It was a reasonable response, at least to Elidia, and that was the opinion that mattered to Yuki.

“Okay,” Elidia said with an accepting tone. “Thank you, Sachiko, for listening to us. I didn’t know if you would even do that.” This had all been more than Elidia had expected to come out of this. For that, she could be grateful to both Yuki and Sachiko.

An almost imperceptible smile seemed to appear on Sachiko’s lips. “Of course. Now, would you like some cake?” She opened the white cardboard container she had placed on the table, revealing a luxurious angel food cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Both Yuki and Elidia nearly completely forgot their reason for coming.

“Oh, yes please!” they both said.


	4. Synch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pilots decide to take part in a cross-synchronization test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably the least original chapter save for a few things like the order of events... DM, Eli's writer... You basically wrote this chapter for me.

The image on his phone was a singular black box with an amber double helix, the words ‘Sound Only’ displayed beneath it. “Our agreement, Kyosuga, was the continued protection of Kurumi Ishihara and the family of Yuki Minase in exchange for your services.” The man on the other end spoke in Japanese, smooth yet incredibly firm. “Termination of our agreement would mean, of course, our ability to maintain their safety would be put at an immediate standstill.”  
  
Takumi wasn’t stupid. He knew begging them was out of the question. “This is the last job then. NERV’s gonna find out and you’ll lose everything I built inside there for ya. You heard the news, right? The big ol’ United Nations has increased their funding. Security’s only going to get tighter.” There had been a reason he grabbed that television. Information was on his side now.  
  
“This is not a negotiation. We will decide the terms of our arrangement..” Though there wasn’t the slightest indication from the man’s voice, Takumi could tell his point had been made effectively.  
  
“Fine. This one’s easy anyway. You guys sure this’ll work?” He held the microchip in his hand, eyeing the serial number on the side. It didn’t mean anything to him, and they hadn’t told him what it was for, but…  
  
“That is none of your concern. Contact us when it is done.” The black box disappeared and he was left once more in NERV headquarters. Right in front of Mathias Lishka’s office.  
  
Takumi didn’t know much about the doctor himself, save for the fact he was Eli-chan’s guardian. Supposedly, he was some important big shot who did a great deal of science… stuff. It didn’t really all matter to him, he was just doing something for the greater good. He took out a multitool and quickly unscrewed the metal panel that covered the regional power box. Gently, Takumi pulled out the control panel and pressed the microchip in the position they had specified. As the camera above him trailed back around to gaze over him, he closed the panel and rescrewed it. Now, there was just one more thing he needed to do.  


* * *

  
“A cross-synchronization test? Are you sure that’s what you want to do, Miss Minase?” Darius had his hand under his chin, scratching idly at the beard hairs that had been growing back. “I wouldn’t have proper authorization, but I’m sure I could slip it in… given that’s what you really want.”  
  
“I do,” she said with a nod. Obviously, they needed to rebuild some team camaraderie after all the interteam drama. As Yuki saw it, a cross-synchronization test would let all of them understand each other more.  
  
“All right,” Darius said with a kind smile. “I’ll do the prep work. If you could gather everyone you’d like to participate in the meantime…”  
  
Yuki and Elidia sent messages to Steiner, Anatoly and Takumi. Phillip and Azami had never disclosed their contact information to the pair, so Yuki asked Takumi to contact Azami. Within half an hour, Steiner and Anatoly arrived on the scene, followed by Azami. “Where’s Takumi?” Yuki asked Azami when she arrived.  
  
Azami looked at the girl and then up toward the Eva observation deck. “Mr. Volpe invited me. I will be joining him.” She said nothing else and then promptly disappeared into the observation deck.  
  
“Allll right then,” Yuki said neutrally, moving things along. “Darius~ How does this all work?”  
  
The veteran’s voice carried itself over the intercom. “Steiner and yourself still need to do your initial synchronization tests, so it would be best if we started with that.” It would get the higher ups off his back too. “I’ll bring the Eva in while you change.”  
  
“Okay!” Yuki and the rest disappeared into the changing rooms, leaving Darius and Azami alone on the deck.  
  
He dropped the command to move the Evangelion into the main hangar area into the computer and turned to look at the woman beside him. Azami stared out at the giant beasts as they were carried along the horizontal rail and into position in the docking ports along the hangar’s wall. “Why not join them, Azami? I’m sure Anatoly would let you meet Idumea.” His eyes scanned Azami’s entire being for a reaction, and he found one. Barely perceptible was the tightening of her knuckles around her biceps as she crossed her arms. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he added, being as calm as he could with her.  
  
His words seemed to reach her and she lowered her gaze, her glare softening. “I do not wish them to see within Catharsis, Mr. Volpe. My role here is not as their friend, but as their co-worker. I only care about my orders.”  
  
“Miss Sicarius…” He gave her one last look of pity before his gaze trailed away from her back to the Eva as they all arrived. The man had a feeling their programs were not as similar as he once thought, even though they both fell under the label of Neo-Spartan. “In that case, as your superior, if you would ever like to discuss anything, I am available.”  
  
Whatever headway he had managed to secure disappeared from Azami’s face. “Thank you for the offer, sir.” Darius could only sigh to himself. He supposed it was not meant to be. The man scratched at his stubble, thinking slowly for his next words, if any.  
  
“How about then, I ask you something as one Neo-Spartan to another?”  
  
She gave him a skeptical look, narrowing her gaze. “I appreciate the thought, and as much as I respect you and the work you’ve done to lay the groundwork, the specifics of our programs were quite different.”  
  
“I understand that completely.” He gave her that much. “However, your team is much larger than mine was. Compared to the two of us, you have six civilians working with you. The legacy of the Neo-Spartan Pilots, I feel, should be one of protecting our co-workers.” Darius shoved his proposal into her arms quickly, blitzing toward his end goal. “I am not asking you to take responsibility for them, but… as a favor to the old guard, maybe you could look after them when you can?”  
  
Azami seemed to stray from meeting Darius’ eyes and looked out over the hangar toward Idumea, Anatoly’s Eva. “I see,” she said simply. “Petrov was on your team, was he not?”  
  
“Yes, Knat was.” Anatoly was the only one who remained.  
  
“I’m sure you protected him during your tenure.” Something flashed in Darius’ mind, but it was nothing more than flashes. Idumea, broken. That Angel, approaching them. He ran, searching for the Angel’s core. Kill it now. Save everyone. Save Knat. In a moment, he had been swallowed up into the LCL. Darius’ lips settled into a gentle frown, but Azami was still speaking. “I won’t let your efforts be in vain.”  
  
“Thank you.” His voice was quiet, but he found himself again quickly. “Now, we have some Synchronizations to oversee.”  
  
Yuki and the other three emerged from the changing room soon after and Darius gave them directions toward the appropriate lifts to their Evas. Anatoly and Elidia stayed back, with Anatoly informing Darius that their plan for cross-synchronization was as such: Yuki would synchronize with Eli’s Eva, Sleipnir; Elidia would synchronize with Yuki’s, Unit Zero; Steiner would with Idumea; and Anatoly would with Ragnarok.  
  
Darius laughed at that. “Haven’t you seen Ragnarok enough, Knat?”  
  
“Hey, you know me. I promised them I’d be back and I’m not going to forget that promise.” He smirked up at the observation deck.  
  
Without further ado, the elevators ascended to allow the Pilots access to their entry plugs. Once they were safely inside, Darius initiated the process of plug insertion, waiting for the two to safely be inserted into Ragnarok and Unit Zero. “Could you initiate the power up sequence?” Darius told Azami, and she did, thumbing through a computer screen with ease.  
  
This was the first time Steiner had been in this plug, and he took his time to get used to it. As he sat down, a large metal piece enclosed everything but his head and limbs, preventing his body from sliding around. His hands naturally found the joysticks, each with five buttons for the purpose of manipulating the unit’s fingers. Below, his feet found the two pedals. Compared to the other Evangelion, the controls were more like a car or a military vehicle. He wasn’t sure if that was good or not. Once the power up sequence had reached him, the four monitors in the plug lit up. Biometric, weather and Eva status information were displayed in black and white. Apparently, it had stopped snowing recently.  
  
Yuki was within Unit Zero, perhaps the least technologically advanced of all the Evangelion. She flicked on the computer monitors, switching on a series of switches and buttons on an extremely analog control panel. Cables were everywhere, pooling on the floor in spirals. It was a mess of a prototype, but it was still her Eva. She wouldn’t trade it in for any of the other ones. Eagerly, she took ahold of the joysticks and pulled them around like she was in some sort of intense battle. “This is Yuki Minase, I’m going in! Damn the missiles, man, if we don’t defeat it here the world’s doomed! Here I go!”  
  
Darius tapped the button on the screen. “Beginning Synchronization…” He was pretty sure he had to say that legally.  
  
Elidia called out from her position on the catwalks, thumbing the intercom. “Yuki! Steiner! Just let the LCL wash over you and keep breathing like normal! Don’t worry! I’ve done it time and time again!”  
  
Steiner did as he was told, feeling the wetness at his feet. The fear response was natural, his mind immediately recalling images of drowning in locked rooms, but he pushed it down and kept himself calm. The aroma of blood was thick, bathing him in its smell before he even reached it. He forced himself to breath it in, tense until it finally filled the entirety of the plug.  
  
Yuki was much the same. Even with Elidia’s words, she still felt the need to move her head further and further up to avoid the liquid as it rose and rose. The blood… She coughed as it finally reached her mouth and she was forced to breath in the liquid. Even before, when she had occasionally been put into LCL for further testing, she had never truly gotten used to it. The first time, she had panicked and hyperventilated, nearly passing out, but now she was much more calm… Hopefully she would get fully used to it soon.  
  
Synchronization began in full, vertigo unsettling their minds as the walls were consumed in a mess of pulsating and twitching colour. The colours shifted wildly, each shade and hue far too bright, a few colours seeming more or less real than others. The oddity of the situation faded as the saturation dissipated and was replaced with an all-encompassing absence. The next stage began. The Pilots had made themselves known to the vastly more powerful souls and the souls sent their own contact in return. It started with a buzzing at the scalp, a numbing of the eyes, and a feeling incomparable to any other. The world began to feel more tangible, and the Evas began to send through their own sensations. Both of them could feel the power coursing through them.  
  
Steiner felt several presences probing him, trying to find a way inside, trying to discover who, what, why and a thousand other questions. The presence wrapped around his soul and he understood them all as the same, as Ragnarok. The questions stopped assuming a definite form, but he could feel the continued struggle. It was as if the presence, if Ragnarok was a giant puzzle and he possessed not a single piece. They drew out of him his worries, his anxieties, and meet them with their own questions. Neither him nor Ragnarok provided the answers the other sought. They spiraled down into an uncertain abyss, neither letting the other in. Then, light flooded that abyss, lifting Steiner up. The buzzing, the numbness; they stopped immediately, and the boy felt something stronger and more rightly than any time before… He felt safe. The puzzle was complete.  
  
Yuki didn’t know what to expect, not entirely. She had never synchronized with Unit Zero before, only with the dummy cores used to test Synchronization Ratios. Would the inside be something terrible? Certainly, it would be otherworldly. The Evangelion were alive, they had minds, they liked or disliked, they kept you safe except when they didn’t. Everything she had heard made it seem so odd, so wrong. Apart from the discomfort and fear caused by the LCL itself, nothing happened. Nothing reached out to her. Her very soul called out for something, something that should be there, some sort of connection… and she found nothing. The void stretched out around her and left her entirely alone. There was no resistance as she reached out for control of the Eva. There was no sense of joining, no sense of peace, or malice. The eyes became her own, the flesh moved as she moved it, and she felt as it felt… but she could not shake the feeling of complete isolation. There was nothing there…  
  
Elidia had told her Sleipnir was like a protective force when she met with it. Was this what it was like to make contact with the Eva? No, there was nothing there. She reached out. This wasn’t right. She didn’t know why she knew but something had gone wrong. Something was supposed to be here. She knew that something was supposed to be here! She called out to it again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. And again. Nothing. She reached out as far as she could. Nothing. She reached out in multiple directions for anything. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing! Nothing!  
  
The void was all around her. The abyss. Nothingness. Black deeper than night. Deeper than the depths of the ocean. Darker than space, dark matter, black holes. This was her universe now. Population: 1. Nothing. Everything here was hers. Everything she could see, feel, smell, hear, taste… it was hers. Nothing. No one to tell her what to do, to criticize her, to say she was wrong, or pathetic. Nothing. No one to praise her. No one to tell her she’d done a good job. No one to comfort her when she messed up. No one to hold hands with. No one to just be there. Nothing.  
  
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing! Nothing!  
  
Yuki screamed out in terror, alerting everyone in the hangar at once as her comms sprung to life. Perhaps her scream jolted herself back into reality. She was back in her plug. She wasn’t alone. Her heart was racing. Her breathing was rapid. Even though she was submerged in LCL, she knew she was sweating.  
  
“Miss Minas-” “Yuki!?” Darius’ voice was overpowered by Elidia’s. “Are you all right? What happened? Darius! Turn it off!”  
  
“Azami!” Darius turned to look at the woman behind the power console and she pulled the emergency menu out immediately, jamming her thumb against the emergency shut off button. Everything went dark in the two Eva and the plugs were ejected and lifted back out toward the elevators.  
  
Elidia rode the elevator up to the catwalks and sprinted out toward the plug. Freshly ejected, the plug was still hot, but she twisted the door open anyway, reaching out for Yuki’s hand as the LCL drained out. The girl took hold of Eli’s hand, tears trailing down her cheeks. “There was nothing there…” she said quietly, her voice steady yet filled with fear.  
  
“Nothing…?” Elidia asked softly. She pulled Yuki into her arms and hugged her tightly. What was inside that thing? What was inside Unit Zero? She needed to know what had hurt Yuki. Nothing else mattered right now.  


* * *

  
The entirety of the group reconvened on the main deck, the Evas watching from a distance. “What did Unit Zero do to you?” Elidia asked.  
  
Yuki was seated on a bench, wrapped in a towel. “No… It’s not that… It’s not there. There’s nothing there. At all.” She looked up at everyone gathered. “It was like a black hole or a void, or… something.” Yuki held her hand out, as if grasping for some unseen thing. “No matter where I looked, where I went, there was nothing. Nothing to see, or hear. It was the worst. Absolute hell…” She looked at Darius. “It that why Unit Zero was never fielded? Why it’s got that name? Why NERV sold it?”  
  
Darius shook his head lightly. “It isn’t possible for an Eva to function without a soul. A connection needs to be established for Piloting to be possible.” That was about the most delicate he could put it. “Our scientific understanding of Evangelion and the souls are not perfect, but that is the main rule of Synchronization.”  
  
“Then…” Yuki looked down at herself. “No… It’s okay. I understand.”  
  
Darius sighed gently and looked to Knat. “Anatoly, go and get Doctor Lishka. I believe I’ll need his opinion.”  
  
“Right.” Anatoly ran off without another word and Darius turned his attention to Steiner.  
  
“As your for Synchronization… How was it?” The look of concern never left Darius’ face for a moment.  
  
“It was fine, exactly as I’ve heard they go.” Steiner told the truth, quickly putting away Darius’ concern for him. “You don’t have to worry about me.”  
  
Darius nodded gently. “If anything comes up, please inform one of the bridge crew.” His attention returned back to Yuki. “We’ll begin a full investigation. Gerard and Doctor Lishka will likely want to examine Unit Zero’s components more closely, and I’ll want to Synchronize myself-”  
  
“I’ll Synchronize,” said Elidia, cutting right through. “I want to see what’s inside Unit Zero.” No, she needed to see. As a Manufactured Pilot, maybe she could see what exactly it was that was inside the Eva. Maybe she could coax it out of hiding and make it so it would correctly Synchronize with Yuki. Yes, if anyone could do it, it was her.  
  
Yuki countered immediately. “Eli, no. That- There’s no reason to experience what I did. If the same thing happened to you that happened to me… Eli…” She pleaded with Elidia with her eyes.  
  
“It’s okay, Yuki. I know what I’m doing.” Eli offered Yuki a kind smile, and Yuki seemed to relent.  
  
Darius rolled the thought over in his mind. “I see. I have no qualms, of course…” His concern wasn’t over the act itself, but the safety of it. As the veteran Neo-Spartan, he had the most qualifications to understanding the nature of Piloting itself, thusly he knew that the whole process could be highly unpredictable. “I’ll sign off on it then. Azami, let’s get back up to the observation deck.”  
  
“Wait,” Elidia said, looking right at Azami. “I don’t- Not with-” She ground her teeth. “With all due respect, Darius…”  
  
Darius looked between the two. “I see. I’ll lead the process. Azami, please stay by my side then. And Miss Elidia… Please prepare yourself.”  
  
“Of course,” she nodded. Elidia was already in her plugsuit, and all she needed to do was make her way to the plug… after speaking with Yuki. She waited for Darius and Azami to once more disappear into the observation deck and for Steiner to make himself scarce as he reentered the changing rooms. Elidia sat down next to Yuki and took the other girl’s hand into hers. “It’s going to be all right. I’ll figure out what happened and everything will be like you said. We’re going to be heroes, aren’t we?”  
  
Yuki looked up at Elidia and nodded calmly. “Yeah… We are.” Yuki’s bright smile came back, filled with melancholy. “I’m glad I have a friend like you to be a hero with, Eli.”  


* * *

  
Elidia had entered Unit Zero's plug quickly and the two Neo-Spartans once again began the process. "Confirming plug injection…" Darius looked up as the plug spun into position and gave the signal to Azami.  
  
She pressed the command for the power up sequence… and nothing happened. "I'm getting no response. Has the Umbilical Cable been damaged?"  
  
Darius scanned the data feed quickly. "If it is, it hasn't been detected. We can give it some time. Perhaps it'll sort itself out. Let's bring in the LCL…"  
  
Inside, Elidia was trying to get comfortable with the archaic controls of the mothballed prototype. Elidia's plug possessed some of the most advanced technology afforded to NERV and going back to loose cables and analog buttons was a difficult proposition. She settled herself into the chair and finally was able to calm herself. Yuki's description of Unit Zero's soul was highly unusual compared to Sleipnir's embrace. Was it scared to the point that it didn't try to Synchronize properly? "What happened to you, Unit Zero…?" she mumbled to herself as LCL began to pour in.  
  
The seconds dragged on, seeming like hours in the darkened plug. None of the systems powered on, including the communications system, stranding her in the darkness of the plug. It seemed as if nothing would happen, but she noticed something faint… The LCL in the plug was beginning to heat up, growing hotter and hotter until it began to hurt, yet the temperature kept rising. She gasped, feeling as if the LCL might burn her lungs. Her entire body convulsed, grasping at her plugsuit for some sort of way out of the scalding cauldron. She knew that there had to be something in there, burning her alive, but she couldn't sense it…  
  
The burning stopped and she clung to her chair with white knuckles. "Why…?" she asked the soul. "Why would you do that to me…?" Elidia felt tears in her eyes, begging to understand what the being wanted. As she came down from the pain, she couldn't tell if that heat had been physical or mental.  
  
Something else replaced the heat. Something in her foot began to throb and bubble, spreading as it heightened in intensity. She could feel it… she could feel the flesh of her leg begin to bubble off, dissolving into LCL. It climbed up, consuming more and more in a disturbing motion. To describe the feeling as pain would be taking the ordeal lightly. She felt the pure torture engulf her and she screamed out, her voice lost as the LCL began to swirl around her like a typhoon. The only thing that kept her in place was the safety harness, but it was little consolation as she cried out again and again. That feeling of consumption spread to her shoulder and head, and the pain caused lights to flash in her head. The agony claimed every piece of her… until…  
  
Something changed. At first, it was hard to tell if it was real or a hallucination.  
  
From the darkness, a point of light emerged. It drew closer, as if sliding in from another plane of reality entirely. What was a point became a sheet of light, coalescing from that immense form into what it had always been: the face of a young woman, both strikingly familiar and utterly alien. That woman opened her mouth, teeth like that of a shark, and her eyes widened as she took in Elidia’s form. Even as the being attempted to consume her, Elidia could feel both envy and fear from that being, the emotions shoved into her like shards of glass and embedded into her own soul. That face moved closer, unblinking, with its gaze shifting constantly. The patterns from its eyes as it shifted were horrific to simply witness. Almost against her face, it whispered something to her, its voice like broken glass, higher than it should be, in a language Elidia had never heard yet understood clearly, filled with confusion and longing…  
  
“Sister…?”  
  
That thing reached into Elidia’s mind, and she was powerless to resist its assault as it began to rip and tear, taking whatever it pleased. Elidia could see the shimmer of her own AT Field in the plug, the impossible shapes dancing across her vision. Her flesh continued to boil and strip away as their minds brushed up against each other, melding, twisting. A feeling of sickening euphoria threatened to push her over the precipice of unconsciousness entirely.  
  
Elidia felt a sudden crash as the other being slammed against a wall, something too powerful for it to pass through. Elidia felt something warm overtake her, pushing the other out and away. As her senses became her own once more, she recognized it for what it was: Sleipnir. The light faded, the entry plug settling back to its normal state, the deterioration of her body and soul ceasing as suddenly as it had begun. After another moment, that warmth also faded, leaving her entirely alone.  
  
The girl cried out, inconsolable wailing wracking her entire body. The state she was in only added fuel to that fire. Her plugsuit was burnt and warped, clinging to her skin as the material had melted and fused to her flesh. She could see the state her limbs were in, naked sinew and tendon peeking out from the tattered skin. Elidia sobbed, all her composure lost.  
  
Outside, Darius stroked his chin in silent thought. “It’s been long enough. I’m ejecting the plug.” He pressed a few buttons on the touchscreen in front of him, opening up communications to the rest of the hangar. “If she hasn’t been able to Synch with Unit Zero, it isn’t going to happen.” The man turned to Azami, hand off the intercom’s button. “Why don’t you go and bring Elidia up? I’m sure she would appreciate it.”  
  
“I see,” she said. “Very well, if you think that is wise.”  
  
Azami stepped out from the observation deck and climbed down the ramp as Unit Zero’s plug was ejected from its spinal column and carried back toward the top of the elevators. She rode up quickly and briskly arrived. Azami tested the heat from the plug’s door with her hands. It was only warm, so she twisted the wheel quickly and pulled the hatch open…  
  
Elidia fell out of the plug, landing in a puddle of LCL and her own blood. The girl didn’t even notice Azami, pushing herself up with her one good hand and lifting her tear-stained face upwards. Her trembling fingers reached up toward the amber monoeye of Sleipnir. “You were always there for me, Sleipnir…” That was all she could manage as she collapsed, her strength completely gone.  
  
The Neo-Spartan looked down, her lips suddenly dry and her voice quiet. “What…?” Her hand went over her face as her brow scrunched up in sudden anguish. “This shouldn’t… How could… Again…!?” She grabbed Elidia’s arm, hauling the other girl into a bridal carry as she proceeded to sprint down the catwalks toward the elevator. “Darius!” she shouted out across the hangar, her voice filled with distress.  
  
Yuki could clearly see the situation as Azami descended the elevator. Her friend had large pieces of herself just… missing. “M-Medical team! Eli’s hurt!”  
  
Darius had a hard time seeing the situation from his position in the observation deck, but the fact that Azami had felt the need to shout at all, coupled with the uncharacteristic alarm in her voice, told him all he needed to know. He opened a communication channel. “Mathias, you need to come to the hangar immediately. Something happened. Elidia’s been injured.” All he heard on the other end was the heavy sound of running as Mathias doubled back toward his office.  
  
Azami and Darius arrived at the main platform simultaneously. He took in the girl’s state with a glance, his mood sinking lower. His hand found its way to Azami’s shoulder as he guided the shaken woman toward the main door. “Miss Sicarius… Azami. It’s going to be all right. Bring her this way. The doctor will be here soon. He should know what to do.” Yuki watched from a short distance away, her hands over her mouth in shock.  
  
As the two drew closer to the door, it opened and Mathias and several attendants ran in. They rolled in a wheeled stretcher and a crash cart, rushing forward to meet their patient. Mathias made contact first, the man’s heart skipping a beat as he spotted Elidia, so weak and vulnerable. “What happened?” His voice was cold and detached, but he shook his head as soon as the words left his lips. He reached out to take Elidia’s hand. The man had many things he wanted to say, but he pushed them away to help guide Elidia onto the stretcher. “Set her down, gently.”  
  
Yuki stepped up as the three set her down, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Eli, I’m sorry. I had no idea that would happen…”  
  
Elidia stirred as one of the medical staff placed an oxygen mask over her face. Her voice was slightly distorted with it on. “Please… Stay away from Unit Zero.” The girl lost consciousness immediately after. Mathias gave the order for them to take her away.  
  
The doctor turned to look at Darius, intensity on the normally calm doctor’s face. “I expect to receive your report as soon as possible.” He turned away, fading through the door with the others.  
  
Darius’ hand found its way to the bridge of his nose and he sighed. He looked around the hangar, finding the remaining Pilots nearby. Yuki was close by, worry still coating her face. Azami had retreated to the deck’s railing, staring at Elidia’s blood on her hands. Anatoly was standing in the doorway, eyes full of surprise before a realization came over his face and he retreated back into the doorway and out of sight. Steiner’s head peeked out from the changing room and then disappeared back in when he caught Darius’ gaze.  
  
He looked back to Yuki. “Elidia will be all right,” he told her, his voice calm. “Doctor Lishka is the best in his field, and he would never let anything happen to her. Give them space to treat her and I’m sure she’ll be back on her feet in no time.”  
  
“Yeah… I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Yuki collected herself and calmed her breathing. At least breathing exercises for performances had a use in her Piloting life.  
  
“Of course.” Darius gave her a gentle nod and then addressed both Azami and Yuki, as they were the only two left. “I’d say that’s enough Pilot duty for today. You should all go get properly washed up and changed. We’ll see what we can do from there.”  
  
Yuki nodded affirmingly. “Yeah. Doctor Lishka will definitely fix her up good.” She left for the changing room, some of the bounce in her step returning as she disappeared.  
  
Azami looked up from her hands. “Yes… of course.” She turned away from Darius’ worried gaze and entered the changing room. Azami sped past Yuki and went to the sinks in the back, dousing her hands in warm water to wash off the LCL and blood. When not a single speck was left, she turned off the water and leaned against the basin. Her hands suddenly grasped at her body, nails dragging against her skin to leave white marks. “Never again…” she whispered, eyes screwed shut. “I will never let it happen again.”


	5. Beneath It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it really mean to be a Pilot? Sometimes a question has no answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, we're so close to completely original content. I can just taste it!

Elidia could see little but the passing overhead lights as she was hauled rapidly through NERV’s underbelly. Her consciousness flashed sporadically, glimpses of the world dragging themselves into view before disappearing into the haze. People spoke, but the words were unintelligible, simply more static. In that static she was able to catch four words. “Please, I beg you.” Mathias, speaking to someone else. In one firm motion, she was dragged onto a hospital bed from the stretcher.  
  
She continued to lose herself, that static becoming little more than a line of gentle noise in the back of her mind. Her thoughts bounced around her head like clouds, vapid nonsense that barely confirmed her continued existence. “I will do what I can,” said someone else. The numbness she felt inverted. Suddenly everything felt cold, like she had been encased in solid ice. A finger traced itself against the edge of her soul, finding the pieces that had been torn and forcing them back into her violently. Every part of her shuddered, that impenetrable force handling her with all the gentleness of a wrecking ball. “By my will, become whole.”  
  
Her senses gradually returned and she found herself in the medical bay, Mathias standing over her as he hooked an IV into her arm. Whatever pain that began to reappear was drowned out in painkillers. “You’re awake,” the man said, offering her a smile more potent than the drugs. “Stay put. You won’t feel a thing.”  
  
Elidia found herself gripping the bed sheets tightly, gritting her teeth as Mathias cut away the plugsuit around her leg and debrided the wound there, a collection basin running red with clotted blood, saline and LCL. “It looks like I might have to spend a night or two here…” she said, carefully controlling her voice. “Better cancel any hot dates you have lined up,” Elidia added with a half-smile, “you know I hate watching movies alone.”  
  
Mathias lifted one hand in an exaggerated gesture of terror before returning to her leg, laying down line after line of perfect sutures. “Sure, sure. I’ll have to call back that supermodel and tell them I can’t make it because I have a patient with a giant monster bite.” He laughed gently, but Elidia could see the emotion hidden behind his eyes. The doctor continued nonetheless, dressing her leg and moving to the badly injured arm of hers. His process was the same but Elidia took the time to pick out her words. As he began to dress her arm, she reached out with her good hand and lightly touched his own arm.  
  
“You don’t seem surprised. These injuries, you’ve seen them before, haven’t you?” As much as she would have liked to keep the tone light, she couldn’t.  
  
Mathias kept his gaze down, pursing his lips, as he froze. He moved his other hand to cover hers, squeezing gently. “Two years ago, I was asked to test my Piloting ability.” He spoke slowly, making sure every word was the right one. “The Evangelion I attempted to Synchronize with… it was Sleipnir. I thought…” His eyes closed as he let the memories and emotions wash over him. “I thought that I could spare you from having to suffer if I did it in your place. There were complications. I could connect, but that connection was volatile.”  
  
He opened his eyes and met her gaze. “I doubt Sleipnir meant to do it. I felt no ill will, nor malice. Just the pain. My body, no, my soul, began to break down and dissolve. If I had been connected a second longer, I wouldn’t have survived.” He turned away, focusing on something in the distance. “After so many years and your perfect Synchronization record, I never expected Sleipnir to do anything like this…” His hold on her hand grew tighter. “I’m sorry.”  
  
Mathias… It didn’t surprise her at all that he had done something so foolishly noble. She couldn’t help but forgive him for his failure to absolve himself of his own guilt yet again. Would he ever be able to do so, to come to terms with both the girl and the world he had brought forth with his own two hands? To Elidia, there had never been anything to forgive in the first place… but when would he see that…?  
  
“I’m sorry Sleipnir did that to you, that we did that to you.” Elidia rested her hand under Mathias’ gently. “But…” A wave of unease lapped at the shore. “It wasn’t Sleipnir that did this to me… it was Unit Zero.” The memory of what she had just experienced came back to her and she swallowed. “Mathias, there’s something inside Unit Zero. Something hungry, something empty. Something that wanted to tear me apart and take this body.” Her voice trembled on the edge of hysteria. “It called me ‘sister’, Mathias…” Fear flickered behind her eyes like a distant fire.  
  
He looked as if he was about to say something but the words don’t come. He stared forward, his eyes suddenly blank. The din of the machines around them was the only voice for those few eternal seconds where the man didn’t speak. Both of his hands wrapped around hers, his grasp painfully tight. He shook, his voice a pleading whisper. “Promise me. Promise me you will never attempt to Synchronize with that Unit again.” His tone took all the heat from the room, the look in his eyes serious as death. “I won’t lose you, Eli. Not to them. You are human. You are not theirs. I won’t let them take you away.” His arms wrapped around her, rougher than he should have. She could feel his anger, burning white hot as he held her.  
  
She was scared of that fire, certain that his passion will be the very thing that would kill him. As Elidia shuddered, she grasped exactly how far he’d go if he was pushed. Yet… She nuzzled against him tenderly and soothingly, resting her head on his shoulder and willing her presence to quell that rage inside him. “I promise,” she said softly. The only way she could protect him from himself was to keep herself safe. He would never have to make the choice she know he’d be willing to make. “I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

  
The reality of Piloting hit Steiner before they had even faced a single Angel or Lilin. He ran out into the massive GeoFront. The beautiful blue lake, the foliage and the animals do little to console the young man as he ran, tears streaking down his cheeks. Steiner collapsed on the grass in a mess, his heart pounding. His skin had developed a thick layer of sweat and his entire body was trembling as he hyperventilated. The smell of blood was so thick… Elidia had been utterly mangled, nearly killed just because she went into that one Eva. What if Ragnarok suddenly decided he wasn’t good enough anymore? What would he do then? He was going to die. He couldn’t become a Pilot. He. Would. Die.  
  
He felt someone’s shadow fall upon him and he squeaked gently as he looked up, sight blurry with tears. It seemed to be someone around his age, with a NERV security uniform. “Hey, you all right?” said the new man. All Steiner could do was weep as he was lost completely in his panic attack.  
  
Whoever it was, he reached down and gently patted Steiner’s back. They stayed like that for a time, with Steiner’s wet sobs gradually replaced with silence as the man lightly rubbed his back. Eventually, Steiner raised his head and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Why…?”  
  
“You looked like you needed help.” The man took the beret off his head and set it to the side. From his pocket, he pulled out a package of tissues that you’d often get from people standing outside a train station in Japan. “Steiner Laudo, right? I’m Nolan, Nolan King.” He offered Steiner the opened packet.  
  
Steiner took them, wiping the snot and tears from his face. “Thank you…" He wasn't sure what to say. He had been offered nothing but kindness from someone he had never met before. Why was everyone so nice to him? He was nobody…  
  
"I heard something happened. Do you want to talk about it?" Nolan offered him a gentle smile. "It's always good to talk about it and think things out, right?"  
  
Steiner sat cross-legged beside Nolan, looking down at his shoes. "I don't see a point. I'm a…" He wanted to say he was a Pilot, but… He didn't want to be one. The fate of the world wasn't something he wanted on his shoulders. If he ended up like Elidia, he was sure he wouldn't survive.  
  
"A Pilot?" Nolan just kept on smiling. "Maybe I don't understand, sure, but that doesn't mean I can't listen."  
  
Steiner sighed quietly. "If you want to hear it…"  
  
"Go ahead!" His smile was too bright… It hurt Steiner's eyes.  
  
Quickly, Steiner laid out what he saw in the Eva hangar. From the door of the changing room, he saw Eli's broken body be carried out from the plug by Azami. Everything erupted into chaos as everyone gathered on the deck and Elidia was rushed out of the hangar. He had seen the terror on everyone's faces as they saw the blood, the exposed flesh… Steiner held his hands against his head. He didn't want to think about it...  
  
"That was really selfless of you," Nolan said, looking up at the ceiling of the GeoFront. “You put Miss Minase’s concerns before your own and made Mr. Volpe focus on that. It’s fine to be a little selfish, though, you know? We all need to let some people in or we’d all go insane, especially you Pilots.”  
  
“No… I don’t want people to worry about me. No one should have the same looks on their faces if I get injured. This world does not deserve to be worried about the life of Steiner Laudo…” He made tight fists with his hands. “But they keep worrying about me. I don’t understand. Why do they keep doing that!?”  
  
Nolan set a hand on one of Steiner’s fists, and he felt the tension fade. “That’s how you Pilots are, right? Making a bond stronger than any other, it’s just natural. I heard Miss Minase and Miss Elidia are already friends. Yuki doesn’t believe any of the bad things people say about Elidia, and I doubt she’d be able to believe any of the bad things you say about yourself.”  
  
Steiner sighed. “Then she’s not very smart.”  
  
Nolan chuckled to himself. “Maybe not, but I think that’s what the world needs right now, don’t you? People who care about others and want to protect what we have left.”  
  
Steiner didn’t know about such things, but he didn’t really know if he wanted to know. This world… He didn’t want a part in it.   
  
Steiner stood up suddenly. “Thank you… but I’m going. I think I need to go back to the school dormitories…”  
  
“All right…” Nolan didn’t stop him. There was no need to. He just watched the other man leave in silence.  
  


* * *

  
Screams echoed in the dead of night, darkness closing in on a lone figure walking through the street filled with dried blood, filth and trash. The elderly hid in dark alleyways, coated in grime, little light in their eyes and less hope in their hearts, no home to leave for, no one to turn to. In the distance, a cicada cried out, piercing the silence. Not far away, a house burned, animals and humans perishing just the same, nobody to notice or care. In a dark alley a mile away, a man sick to death from stigmata cornered and killed an innocent young man for the spare change in his wallet. Further out, a young woman was brutally assaulted and murdered, her killer destined to escape. The figure saw all from that deserted street and more. The screaming intensified into the wail of suffering, as if the city itself cried out for justice.  
  
What kind of world had humanity wrought?  
  
Red eyes, glowing bright in the black, turned to the nearest broken figure. It had always been like this, the weak tossed aside when protecting them became too bothersome. Before the Impact, before Adam… it had always been like this. It was better to end it all. The city asked its pitiful question and it is given an answer. A shimmer of power, as if the air itself had split apart, an AT Field forming out of the ether, surrounding that dark, haunted visage. The man noticed that, for the first time in a long time, someone had truly noticed him. The light seemed so warm… so peaceful. He smiled and let go.  
  
The man’s clothing floated in a puddle of LCL, discarded and forgotten. No trace of that person remained. The figure turned to the man’s old companion, a woman wearing rags, terrible scars covering her arms from the needles she had used. The old woman whimpered, staring in terror at the red liquid, then the stranger bathed in light. The stranger stepped closer. The woman tried to scream. Before a sound could slip out of her tired power, she slipped away, more LCL staining the ground below like blood.  
  
Laughter. The mad cackling came from the centre of that light. End it all, end it all, end it all…  
  
By morning, the city no longer cried.  
  


* * *

  
Phillip thumbed the ring on his finger. What the hell kind of dream had that been? The screaming and the violence had been nothing new to him, but that thing… He put the thought to the side for the moment. He would have time to think about ungodly things like that later.  
  
The school stood in front of him. It was Saturday and there wasn’t any school that day. He pushed the gate open, stepping onto the main path and toward the building proper. For a moment, he caught a glance of something, a vision. The building appeared old, broken down, the roof caved in and the windows shattered… but that illusion passed. Phillip rubbed at his eyes, stepping around toward the back of the building. His reason for being there was to check on what he believed to be his territory. That was the basic nature of gangs as he understood it, to hold an area and exert power upon it. Finally, he stepped inside, finding someone who he actually knew.  
  
The man with the paper bag on his head appeared a few minutes into his entry, carrying a stack of papers with numerous staples, rubber bands and binder clips somewhere in that mess. He spotted Phillip, his face lighting up… somehow. “My Child!” He rushed through the hallway, trampling a poor girl who was there for her club. “It’s good I found you! These are your tests and assignments for… the last week!” He dropped the stack into his hands, easily half the size of Phillip’s body, causing the man to buckle under the weight. “Please get them back to me at your earliest convenience!” He bowed, straightened, and then bowed again… for some reason.  
  
Phillip dumped the papers onto the floor, creating a great mess. He had never done any schoolwork given to him. He didn’t understand a lot of it, didn’t care about the rest of it and found the entire thing annoying. Being handed something like that so suddenly just made him angry, throwing him into an Irish rant. “For the last time, I’m not doing any more of your damned paperwork! And I’m not your child! I’m not yours!” He stormed off, hurrying away from the man as quickly as he could. Phillip didn’t want to talk to that man at all.  
  
“Have a nice day, my Child~ I’ll have the papers delivered to your dormitory later then~” The man waved as Phillip departed, mirth in his voice.  
  
Phillip let out an angry breath and set foot on the stairs leading down to the basement Someone else called out from him as he did and he paused. “Phillip!” A few seconds later, Kurumi Ishihara met him. “Are you heading back to the dorm soon?” Similarly to the paper bagged teacher, her voice was friendly, but she was much more friendly as his classmate. Bits of annoyance peeked out from behind her tone, likely from having to deal with the teachers of the school. “I’m done my duties, so I’m going to head home. If you want… we can walk together? Unless you have something else to do.” On her back was a heavy backpack, likely full of schoolwork.  
  
Phillip just looked at her. “Is there a reason you’re talking to me?”  
  
She shrugged, not bothered in the least. “I suppose not, but I don’t need one, do I?”  
  
Phillip groaned to himself. He sure thought she needed one. “Words are important, so I don’t bother wasting them.” Sure, he could rant, but those words weren’t meaningless. When he said something, he meant it completely and utterly. “I’m here to do something, so I’m not going back to that place now…”  
  
He began to descend the stairs, but Kurumi stepped up beside him and followed him down. “Well, that’s all right. I can come with you, if you want. Even if we get home late, there’s no one to complain.” Phillip didn’t immediately shove her away, so she just continued. “You’re right that words are important. We haven’t had a chance to talk at all, have we?”  
  
Maybe there was a reason for that, Kurumi Ishihara… Phillip rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “I don’t waste my words on dogs, class leader. That’s what I meant.” That’s why he had no interest in speaking to Elidia or Azami. Both were nothing but NERV’s dogs. He was not going to be NERV’s dog.  
  
Kurumi, naturally, took his statement completely wrong. She smiled, amused. “Didn’t really like pets growing up? I like dogs. They have wet noses, and they knock a lot of stuff over with their tails, but they’re all nice at heart. They only act bad if people teach them to act bad.” As they descended further into the school, Kurumi only rambled on. “Not that Taku and I had any pets growing up either, unless Taku would be the pet!” She laughed, and Phillip couldn’t help but laugh for a completely different reason. Her description of dogs was completely wrong compared to his own. Maybe he’d have to nickname her ‘naive girl’.  
  
Phillip pushed open the door to the boiler room and stepped inside, shifting through the darkness. Kurumi followed close behind, suddenly quiet as she wished to preserve what she deemed to be a suitable atmosphere of intrigue. Surely, something crazy would happen! She waited for him to find a secret door in a wall by pushing a brick, or something else exciting, but he only pushed a box of paper to be recycled out of the way and lifted up a trapdoor in the floor.  
  
“Well, that’s not as exciting as I thought it’d be,” she said as she peered out into the darkness with a ladder leading down deeper into the unknown.  
  
“You expect a fight?” He smirked and began to climb down. “Come on, I know where to go.”  
  
Kurumi huffed and followed him down. “You know, Phillip… We aren’t all that different.”  
  
He didn’t respond to that, mumbling something under his breath in Irish. As if he was anything like Kurumi.  
  


* * *

  
"Aza-chan, I wuz thinking… let's get some 'power armour', ne?" That was all the justification that Takumi gave Azami when he dragged her out of NERV HQ and out into town. She looked incredibly out of place in downtown Tokyo-3 beside the younger man. He had on his signature leather jacket as always, but putting the casual Takumi beside the much taller and intense Azami made them look like something out of a wonky romcom. Unfortunately, or more likely fortunately, Takumi's heart belonged to no one but Kurumi and Azami was an emotionally stunted child soldier. Also, well… that's a spoiler, isn't it?  
  
"Power… armour…?" Azami said aloud. What on earth was he talking about. It wasn't a plugsuit, not actual body armour for combat so… "I am sure that could be sorted out without issue, but wouldn't you want to speak to NERV about that?"  
  
Takumi took a step onto an elevator, dragging Azami within. "Well, all I know is dat the big ol' warriors in this city are different than the ones 'round Kumamoto. Armor ain't about stoppin' mah axe, it's 'bout lookin' like ya got real power. Power 'n' influence to accomplish yer goals." He pointed out toward a group of men lounging around the first floor, obviously yakuza foot soldiers to him. "People judge folks by… superficial stuff, ne? So we jus' gotta play by those rules! We'll get da best of da best! Show 'em that NERV ain't ta be messed with!"  
  
Azami nodded slowly at Takumi's speech as his accent grew stronger and stronger. "Business suits…? I see. Very well."  
  
"Business suits…" He smacked himself on the forehead. "A'course! That's what it's called…" The elevator opened and he dragged Azami further, setting the two of them outside a luxury business wear store. "Aight! This is da place!"  
  
They passed the threshold of exotic wood and bronze, a litany of attractive attendants in the department store's uniform bowing and greeting them with a welcome. In the corner, a fancy melody from a grand piano played through an overhead speaker. They had truly walked into a new world entirely.  
  
Takumi wasted no time, pulling a pair of sunglasses from his jacket and setting them on his face. He pulled Azami along toward the front, whispering in her ear. "Aight, Aza-chan… just follow my lead. Think of this as a new sort of battle. Jus' act… bossy, bitchy… and spoiled. Sorta like a tsundere pink-haired imouto-chan who's secretly da commander of NERV!"  
  
"Wait, act like Yuki-?" Azami didn't have a chance to finish that thought as Takumi dragged her forward and began.  
  
Suddenly, Takumi was a stereotypical yakuza thug, gaining a sort of arrogant and demanding swagger as he stepped up toward a perfume counter. His sunglasses looked incredibly expensive, likely stolen from somewhere, but that was neither here nor there. He slammed his fist on the counter, calling the nearby attendant over. "Oi, oi, lady! Hurry up already, eh? Dah Boss won't like it if you keep Lady Asahina waitin'."  
  
An elderly woman behind them gave the pair one look and hurried off without buying anything. Takumi's plan seemed to be working, but the glare from one of the attendants wasn't exactly helping them. The woman at the counter was much more amicable, waving her hands in a placating manner. "Sir, ma'am…" She tried her best to smile. "My apologies. Is there something you need today? I would be happy to be of service." Her smile seemed genuine, a valuable skill she had earned in customer service.  
  
Takumi was still recovering from having made an elderly person even slightly uncomfortable. He was a traditionally raised Japanese boy, respect for seniority engraved in his very soul… but he had a job to do, for a variety of reasons and objectives. So, he leaned in toward the attendant and spoke softly. "Listen, I don't mean ta bother ya, miss, but behind me 'ere is Lady Madoka Asahina, da daughter of da Big Boss 'imself and mob princess of half da city, dontcha know?" Takumi turned around and pointed at Azami's hime haircut before returning to look at the attendant. He set a large paper bill on the counter, especially odd since transactions in Japan were becoming more and more card reliant. "Here's da rub. Lady Asahina needs at least five attendants wit’ her at all times to serve her every need. Dats just what she ‘pects. Yer gunna be our personal ‘tendant, Miss…” He looked at her nametag.  
  
The attendant looked between the strange boy and the woman apparently known as Lady Asahina with a skeptical disposition. Without acknowledging the wad of money, she swept it behind the counter and began to lay down the charm immediately. “You can call me Rin, handsome.” She gestured quickly for an entire squadron of employees to descend upon the pair, all bowing quickly as Takumi flashed more cash. “What are you two looking for tonight?”  
  
“Yer finest biz’ness suits. Maybe a little something else later but that’s the first thing on da list!” He grabbed a particularly flustered Azami by the wrist and dragged her along as the attendants showed them to a large collection of fancy and exceptionally expensive dress suits. The main attendant, Rin, pointed to a row of suits, finely crafted from the most exotic of fabrics, ranging from one hundred thousand yen at the very cheapest to far more at the opposite end of that spectrum. Deep blues, blacks, and greys made up the main selection with whites and yellows buried somewhere beneath that.   
  
“Do you see what you’re looking for?” Rin asked, clasping her hands together as Takumi slipped more bills into her pockets. Azami reached out with a nervous hand, resting her fingers against one of the black suits. She didn’t know if she was even allowed to touch the displays, so she took her hand back.  
  
“The classics, right?” Azami said. “Yes, I think that will suffice.” In an instant she was shoved into a changing room with several of the attendants. Muffled screams played through the door, the changing room shook violently as if an earthquake was happening, and a piece of her school uniform jettisoned itself violently out from under the door.  
  
While Azami was preoccupied, Takumi picked up Azami’s shirt and stuffed it into his jacket. He turned to Rin, who was still all smiles, and lowered his sunglasses. Considering she had called him handsome prior, he was certain that the woman in front of him was completely and utterly smitten. “Eh… Which suit do ya think ‘ould look good on me, Sugah Bombs?” Rin’s face contorted into a painful cringe as she heard his attempt at an affectionate nickname. Still, he continued. “Dat all black one wit da cobalt grey looks good, ne? Shall I try it on for ya?”  
  
“Ah, yes… Of course. I would just love to see you wearing that. It’s our most expensive- I mean, handsome piece.” She was dying as she spouted lies for more cash, blood trickling out of the side of her mouth. “It would definitely bring out the sexy factor, and your fabulous…” She paused as she tried to come up with another hollow compliment. “Why, there isn’t a single part of you that won’t look fabulous in that.”  
  
It was at this moment that Azami was ejected from her changing room, clad in the dark suit of her choosing with a beet red face. She tried to shift into some semblance of casualness to distract herself from her intense embarrassment. Someone threw a black tie over her head and quickly helped her get it properly around her neck. Takumi was genuinely impressed, giving her a thumbs up. “Wow, Aza… eh, Asahina. Looks good! Really… ‘Boss’... professional like.” He set a hand under his chin. It really gave her a different aura, one that compelled him to be on his best behaviour and be more serious around his buddy. Mayhaps that was the power of the suit… “Definitely has presence… Like yer commandin’ troops and conquerin’ enemies in battle…” He nodded aggressively.  
  
Rin nodded along. “Wonderful, wonderful. It looks better on you than anyone else I’ve ever seen it on.” Hurriedly, she ushered Takumi into one of the changing rooms with his suit of choice to get him out of sight for the briefest of moments.  
  
Azami seemed to have a sudden burst of confidence as she smiled to herself. “Yeah…” she said to herself as she lost herself in fantasy. “This is the true form of Lady Madoka Asahina…” Stars twinkled in her eyes as she nodded to herself and barely contained the will to jump up and down with eager joy.  
  
Takumi stepped out from the changing room, however his leather jacket was still on and his tie was wrapped around his head like some sort of headband. Clearly out of his element and slightly embarrassed, he looked to his captive audience. “Eh… Rin-san… How does it look? Aza… Ya think da bosses will like it? Maybe… dah Prez.... might like…?”  
  
Azami instantly came to his side, quickly putting the tie around his neck and doing it up properly. “I’m sure that the… bosses… will love it,” she purred as she tightened his tie. “Don’t worry.” Azami nodded to him, sagely and knowingly. Something in her voice told Takumi she was speaking from the bottom of her heart.  
  
Rin budded in, trying to contain her laughter. “Wow, you look even better than I imagined. Why, if you didn’t buy this, it would be a crime against women everywhere. This suit…” She tilted her head in a slightly coy manner. “It completes you. You complete it.” The rest of the attendants cooed and laid on the compliments as well.  
  
Somehow, the demeanors of the two Children had completely switched, with Takumi becoming more and more shy and embarrassed as Azami’s self-confidence shot through the roof. Eager to get things over with, Takumi mumbled several arigatos and handed Rin some more money and a credit card he had lifted from an important member of NERV’s staff. “Da bills are jus’ a lil thanks for yah ladies’ troubles. Da suits ‘n anything else Lady Asahina wants goes on da card. Howeva… I’d like ta see the jewelry section now, Rin-san!” He put his sunglasses back on and hurried along with Rin further into the store as Azami began to go crazy with the splendor of fashion around her.  
  
Half an hour later, Takumi and Azami were collapsed on a bench in the mall, an endless number of bags strewn around them. They had completely shed their yakuza persona and seemed more like tired salarymen trying to stay awake after a long shift. "Aza-chan…" Takumi said as he sat up, looking at a small box in his hands. "Do ya think the Prez will like this?" He popped it open, revealing two simple matching rings, the metalwork looking like the rippling of water.  
  
She pushed her newly acquired sunglasses up to rest above her forehead and considered the question. "Don't you think it's a bit forward?"  
  
"Forward…? It's not like 'eez are engagement rings!" He seemed to panic for a moment before Azami could calm him.  
  
"Forward or not, the president is simple in romance… I think she'd like anything you give her." She flicked her sunglasses back down and admired the new black leather gloves she had purchased. "You make a nice couple."  
  
Takumi felt the urge to deny any allegations that he and the president were together but he fell short of doing so. "Yeah… guess we are." He smirked to himself and put the small box away into his jacket. "You ever have some'un like that, Aza-chan?"  
  
She looked out over the mall, her gaze looking the slightest bit depressed as he caught a glimpse of her eyes beneath the sunglasses. "Once… perhaps I did. I'm not sure." She looked at him and he was sure she still had that nervous look beneath the glasses. "Loving another woman isn't so strange, is it?"  
  
Takumi clicked his tongue. Aza-chan really had been sheltered, hadn't she. "'Course. Ain't nothin' weird 'bout that. As long as it makes Aza-chan happy."  
  
"Good." She set her head back against the bench, content to rest awhile longer.  
  
Takumi had something he wanted to ask her, something of a different manner than romantic relationships. "Can I ask somethin' else?" Under normal circumstances, he would have let Azami relax, but he had something genuinely serious to discuss. Azami caught onto his intentions immediately, taking off her sunglasses and giving him a look of complete attention. "Ya ever… wonder if yer doing the right thing?"  
  
"Takumi, I am a Neo-Spartan." Her eyes were the same as they always were, with a clear and firm look in them. "I know I am doing the right thing as a Pilot. That is my entire purpose as a human being."  
  
He scratched the side of his face. Maybe he needed to rephrase. "Well, have ya ever made a decision and ya regretted it? Like, ya did it in da moment and ya didn't have time to consider everythin'?"  
  
Azami closed her eyes and nodded firmly. "Yes, but that is the way it works. People's lives are at stake, and we have to decide what risks are worth taking to ensure the preservation of humanity itself. Even my life is just another factor to consider in that game."  
  
"You'd throw away yer life? Just to protect folks?"  
  
"Of course. That's the reason I was born."  
  
Takumi wasn't sure if that was shortsighted stupidity or insane heroism. Maybe it was both… He supposed that her words were encouraging, something to keep him on his path, but he wasn't sure. Life wasn’t as simple as it was in the hills of Kumamoto. "Ya sure are brave, Aza-chan."  
  
Azami didn't respond to that and looked away as she changed the subject. "Speaking of Piloting, have you done your Synchronization tests yet?"  
  
"Oh, those. Nah. Gerard's supposed ta have me in to get things all finished up and get me one'a those Eva, but me and 'im have been busy!" He couldn't help but laugh. "When I get an Eva, I wanna call it Yatagarasu-Maru! I'm gonna be a real hero 'a justice like Imouto-chan! Just ya watch, Aza-chan, I'm gonna leave ya in the dust when I get into the cockpit!"  
  
Azami laughed quietly along with him. "I'm sure you will. I look forward to it." Takumi was really glad he had a friend like Aza-chan, and he was sure she felt the same way too. Together, they probably could do anything. Angels, Lilin, secret organizations; they'd all fall to the might of team TakuAza! He laughed heartily with her, confident in that naive hope in his heart. Sure, life was not as simple as before, but that did not mean his naive hopes were wrong.  
  


* * *

  
Under the school was a series of tunnels. Seemingly these tunnels were part of the ruins of a school that the new one was built upon, with lights placed every fifteen feet or so. What Kurumi could surmise and Phillip could intuit was simple: the tunnels created a sort of crossroads in the center, with four outward paths. One path lead to where they had come from, one lead to another trapdoor under the nurse’s office, another lead to the grate where the school’s catacombs connected to the sewers, and the fourth tunnel…  
  
Phillip was already looting the room by the time Kurumi stepped in. It was some sort of hideout made out of a cellar, with a sizable rack filled with what appeared to be bottles of wine. There was also a set of stairs leading up to a door, with several lockers lined up beside it. Phillip pointed up at that door before resuming his attempts to bash the sides of the padlocks with a switchblade. “It’s locked, and I’m not going to spend the time getting it open.”  
  
Kurumi shrugged and made her way around, twisting open the screw caps of one of the bottles of wine. She sniffed it lightly and tilted her head to the side. “This is soda…”  
  
“Soda…?” Phillip asked offhandedly as he disengaged enough of the pins to pry the lock open and open the locker up. Numerous magazines spilled out, copious amounts of ancient pornography. Phillip scoffed at the lame puns on the covers and reached into the back of the locker to pull out a can of felt tipped marker labeled spaghetti and several paper bags.  
  
Kurumi turned around to see and then immediately turned back to make herself look busy as Phillip stuffed the porn back into the locker and shut it. “Looks like this is the Paper Bag’s hideout…” He held out a paper bag with a crudely drawn smiley face on it to Kurumi, who took it.  
  
“Huh, so he lives down here? What a weird guy…” She said that, but she couldn’t help but feel reminded of the hills of Kumamoto… Kurumi’s brow knitted together as she recalled Takumi’s bloodsoaked form. That had only been… a year ago? The relative safety of Tokyo-3 was beginning to mess with her sense of time. Was their teacher just another person who had barely managed to survive that dark time? She looked up as Phillip hefted up a box of cans and began to walk out. “H-hey! Wait up!”  
  
He didn’t stop, but he slowed down enough for her to catch up with him. “What? You got something to say?”  
  
“I…” She wasn’t sure. Maybe? “I was just thinking of the time before… before NERV and Tokyo-3. For a long time, it was just Taku and me.” She looked up, trying to ascertain if he was paying attention or not. All she caught was a subtle glance. It was good enough for her. “We barely survived and now he’s a Pilot and…”  
  
“That’s just how it is.” Phillip wasn’t about to offer his complete and unending sympathy for something. He cringed as he looked away, his thoughts on something else. "Let's get out of here."  
  
They didn't say another word as Phillip lead them to the original entrance. Wordlessly, Phillip had Kurumi hold his box while he clambered up the ladder to open the trapdoor for the two of them. Unfortunately for them, it didn't open. "Shite. Locked in." From what he could tell, someone had put a sizable weight on the entrance, and he couldn't push it off from this side.  
  
"What? That's weird…" Before Kurumi could lose herself in a delusional fantasy of being trapped down beneath the school for the rest of her days, Phillip was off the ladder and moving toward a part of the room she hadn't looked at. He pushed an old and dusty television cart out of the way, revealing another ladder in the same room. "W- wait, where did that come from?"  
  
"You think I didn't do any scouting beforehand? Sheesh, class rep…" He started up the new, longer ladder, and was pleased to find the trapdoor was open. With enough gumption, he managed to squeeze through the pocket dimension exit into the classroom through the cleaning supply locker in the back of the class. Back on his two feet, he turned around to help Kurumi through the hole in the ground just as he felt something. Slowly, he turned around to see someone, a girl, looking at a piece of paper on the teacher's desk. She was looking straight at him. He looked straight at her.  
  
Both of them immediately began sizing each other up, taking note of escape routes, running ideas of how the situation might play out in their heads. She looked behind him at the secret trapdoor, cursing under her breath as the class president emerged. "This a trap?"  
  
Phillip watched as she moved slowly toward the front entrance of the classroom, and he made a similar motion toward the rear entrance. "I'm not the one springing any traps today. I just got out of one." Evidently, she was sneaking around the school, and it was likely rather late at this point. "No one needs to know you were here, just like no one knows I was down there."  
  
Kurumi took a step back as the two begin to verbally spar, not too sure how Phillip hoped to handle it and not wanting to step on his toes. The unknown girl only laughed. “Tell whoever the hell you want!” She brushed the hair from her face, smirking with an untold arrogance. “You have more to lose, and they won’t be able to connect me with this place anyway.” In fact, she advanced on the pair. “Now, tell me what’s down there, or get out and let me check for myself. I have places to be later. You probably do, too.”  
  
When she stepped close enough for the fog of war caused by the dark classroom to lessen, Phillip was actually able to discern what she looked like. Her skin was slightly darker than his, features distinct in the face of the mostly European and Japanese people he had seen recently. Kurumi subconsciously recognized that she was likely from the Middle East, not that she was speaking. Either way, her uniform wasn’t that of the school’s, though it was very close. That last fact was enough for Phillip to get the picture.  
  
As for whether or not he had places to be later… “Like Hell I do. You don’t get to waltz in here like you own the place.” He matched her advance, ready to block her from moving any further, though he was really preparing for a fight. “This isn’t your turf, go back to your own territory.” The school was his.  
  
However, she was ready to challenge him. “What? You get free reign because you’re a Pilot? A special tool for the government to bash against whatever problem they have? How someone could be such a loser…” She shook her head at him. “Neither of us rules, but at least I’m free, and I am free… to waltz wherever I wish.”  
  
As they continued to argue, Kurumi had already closed the trapdoor and the cleaning locker, and had moved completely around the two to clean up some of the mess the newcomer had made. Fight or not, she was still the class president.  
  
Phillip disregarded everything he was told. “As if I’d submit to NERV - submit to a gang. I have the right to be here because this is my turf. You’re on it. Now either leave or I’ll make you.” He unconsciously cracked his knuckles, preparing for the fight he was sure was about to break out.  
  
Lucky for him, the girl just laughed at him mockingly before moving to an expression of being utterly unamused. “No.”   
  
Phillip shrugged. “Okay. You’ve got places to be. I can wait until then.”  
  
She shrugged too. “Fine by me.”  
  
It seemed as if the two would stand staring at each other until Hell froze over, but instead of that very likely scenario occurring, the classroom door burst open as someone threw it ajar. A man stood there, who some understood to be the school nurse. From his tone and the pulsating vein on his forehead, he was very, very angry. “Class is over! Go home! I swear, if you kids aren’t bleeding from at least three places I don’t even want to see you.”  
  
The new girl scoffed, looked the nurse up and down and then proceeded to answer as she had to Phillip. “No.”  
  
Phillip set a hand against his forehead and sighed. “Fine. You want to know what I found?” He fished a can of pasta from his pocket and threw it at her. “That.”  
  
She grabbed it from the air and looked at it. “What- spaghetti?” She had just enough time to stare at it in a bewildered manner before the nurse had grabbed her by the back of her jacket and hurtled her through the door. She landed on her butt, grumbling in a language none of those present understood. “Hey, what the hell, man. Abuse.” She stood up, brushing herself off. “I could sue.” The nurse just glared back before turning to Kurumi and Phillip.  
  
“Out.”  
  
“That’s what I was trying to do.” Phillip grabbed his stuff and lead Kurumi out of the room with her bowing numerous apologies on the way out. The nurse locked the door as soon as they left and then disappeared down the hall, steam trailing out from his ears as he went.  
  
As the two turned their attention away from the nurse, Kurumi found the unknown girl to have completely disappeared. Phillip seemed to have noticed this as well, but only set his hands back into his pockets. He looked away for a moment, feigning disinterest but looking at her through the corner of his eyes. “So. About walking home together…”  
  
Kurumi practically jumped at him. “Aha! I knew you would come around eventually!”


End file.
